The small college President wrote to provide parents with the latest information about the steps the campus is taking to ensure student safety in the wake of two armed robberies/vehicle thefts that occurred in the last week. The college’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) has already increased patrols on campus after earlier incidents where items were stolen from vehicles on or near campus. In fact, DPS is doubling personnel on duty and increasing patrol hours beginning immediately. The President indicated that the campus team is also working closely with other local law enforcement agencies to assist with this effort, and they are providing additional patrols by marked vehicles and also by plainclothes officers.
With the additional lighting and security cameras that have been installed in recent years, there are now more than 30 of security cameras ringing the small campus, providing views primarily of the parking lots and perimeter streets. These cameras, along with fingerprints recovered from a number of vehicles, have provided DPS, the Shreveport Police Department, and Crimestoppers with valuable information to assist in their investigation of these recent crimes. The 24-hour cameras and additional patrols have assisted us in catching some of the previous perpetrators, including two instances so far this year where would-be thieves were caught in the act of trying to take things from student vehicles and were arrested.
Although the President intended for the letter to be reassuring, you are more concerned about the fact that your 18 year old daughter may have to testify in a courtroom with a felony lawyer. Your daughter was not a victim of either of these armed robberies, but she was in the lot when it occurred. She could tell that something was not right so she was actually sitting low in her car making a call to 911. Her call, in fact, although it was not mentioned in the President’s letter, was part of the reason that at least two arrests have been made. That call, however, has left her as a potential witness who the felony lawyer may question.
The College, in conjunction with the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Residence Hall Association (RHA), is hosting an open forum later this week for students to receive the latest, most accurate information about these crimes and the measures being taken to prevent future incidents. Students will have a chance to ask questions, voice their concerns, and review general campus safety measures, including the 24-hour availability of DPS escorts anywhere on campus.
Parents are asked to strongly encourage their student to attend this meeting, and the President is committed to keeping students and the campus safe and informed and would value student participation and input at the upcoming meeting.
Parents Want to Know That Their Students Are Safe While They Are at College
As parents prepare to send their just graduated from high school children to college they have many things on their mind. From who their roommates will be to whether or not they will take a car to campus the first year. And while all of these decisions and anxieties can be stressful, they pale in comparison to the announcement that your child has been involved in a situation that will involve a felony lawyer.
Both on and off the campuses across the country there are difficult safety concerns. From the felony lawyers that are working to prosecute the people who have committed crimes to the drug possession lawyer who are trying to keep dangerous items off the streets, the system is complex. And while criminal defense attorneys are doing their jobs in helping defend their clients, every parent wants the same thing: to have a save place while their college students are away from home.
Research that was complied as of July 1, 2015 indicated that more than 70 million people have criminal records indexed by the Interstate Identification Index. This is a frightening fact if you are the parent of a child on a campus hundreds of miles away from home. And while upon arrest, everyone should be read their Miranda Rights, denoting that they have the right to remain silent until they retain an attorney to speak on their behalf, the process is still scary.