RUPD: Stop stealing
Since September, there has been an increase of thefts on campus, and we are glad to know that the Rice University Police Department is on the case. However, the current crime deterrence method of fake-stealing students’ bicycles and property in the library is one measure too extreme (see story, page 1).
Of course, students should not be so naive as to leave their belongings where they can be easily stolen. But RUPD’s current plan only makes the situation worse.
Students go to the library in moments of extreme stress, whether studying for tests or scrambling to write a paper. The last thing they need is for RUPD to play some sort of practical joke as a learning experience. Learning for classes can be demanding enough without having a note-filled laptop swiped during a bathroom break.
The problems do not end at the doors of Fondren. Busy schedules fill every day with cross-campus treks, and construction does not make it any easier. An unnecessary trip to the police station to recover a bicycle or backpack would not only make any day a bad one, but could raise more hatred against RUPD than a college pub night police bust. The last thing we want is for students to mistrust RUPD.
We agree that students need to be made aware of risks on campus, but not in a manner that makes RUPD looks like the bad guys. So instead of the current plan, in which RUPD officers take students’ property and leave notes stating where they can be found, we recommend that they simply leave notes. A note along the lines of “Your property could have been stolen! Be more careful” would certainly suffice.
Of course, students could always embrace the mantra of “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Whenever you see a RUPD bicycle or golf cart that is not properly secured, move it and leave a note. After all, it is better that they come get it from students than have it stolen by someone else. Then again, stealing something that is not yours is always wrong, isn’t it?
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