DUPD to improve safety off East

The first weekend of joint Duke University and Durham Police Department patrols in the neighborhoods surrounding East Campus seems to have been a success and is a step in the right direction for improving students� safety, on and off campus.

This past weekend was the first test of the Duke University Police Department’s extended jurisdiction in the areas surrounding East Campus. In a matter of two nights these patrols, which Executive Vice President Tallman Trask emphasized are “not an alcohol patrol,” broke up no less than five off-campus parties. The DUPD, in its collaboration with the Durham Police Department, did not break up parties until after neighbors called about the noise level, and the Duke police officers did not seem to be seeking out students who were drinking with the intent of arresting or punishing them.

One of the purposes of the off-East patrols is to get more officers into that area, freeing up Durham police to concentrate on other calls and to ensure the safety of Duke students. The purpose of the patrols is not to overly-police drinking or to quash off-campus social activity. Although time will tell if the DUPD patrols off East will improve long-term safety, this past weekend seems to indicate the potential for success.

The University’s main priority is the safety of its students, and since the number of students heading off campus to find social events has continued to increase, the logical move was for DUPD to head off campus with them. Since the DUPD has invested the time and money to train new officers, off-East patrols do not come at the cost of diminished patrolling on campus, and if even one student is kept from being assaulted or robbed because of these efforts, then they are certainly worthwhile.

Beyond simply preserving the safety of students, the DUPD’s off-East patrols will also contribute to a positive relationship between the Duke students who live off East and the other, non-student residents of those neighborhoods. In the past large, loud parties held off East have caused problems between the students hosting the parties and their neighbors. By maintaining a presence off East and standing ready to intervene when parties get unwieldy or too loud, the police can help students and residents strike a more reasonable balance.

Although the DUPD’s off-East patrols have the potential to improve student safety, this past weekend’s events have shown that the campus is still not safe enough—Saturday night a person was held up at gunpoint on Central Campus while delivering food to students.

Even though the University has enacted a great number of new security measures, and even though these measures are making campus safer, the University cannot stop here. It must continue to devote the appropriate time, effort and money to creating the safest campus possible. The off-East patrols are just one step in a long path toward protecting students—both on and off campus—at all times.