The University Police Department is adding more officers to upperclassman residence halls as part of a broader effort to tighten access to buildings across campus.
The force reviewed data from crime reports covering the past five years, looking at patterns to determine where and when to place officers in specific buildings, UPD Chief Kevin Hay said Wednesday. He said the officer postings are flexible and UPD will relocate officers if trends shift.
University Police Department began cracking down on who can enter residence halls earlier this semester, stationing officers near building entrances that were not previously supervised, including Ivory Tower, where hosts were required to escort their guests inside.
Incidents of piggy-backing, when an individual enters a building behind residents who unlocked the door, have been highlighted as a campus concern.
In late October, Metropolitan and University police officers arrested 34-year-old Mergen Battulga, who trailed into the West End residence hall and allegedly attacked students. Battulga is facing three D.C. Superior Court charges for assault, and other charges for unlawful entry, threats to do bodily harm and assault on a police officer.
Another man piggy-backed into City Hall in September and attempted to sexually assault a female student.
Officers will monitor the front doors of Ivory Tower, City and Amsterdam halls, home to mainly juniors and seniors, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Hay said. Surveillance at Mitchell Hall and the freshman dorms Madison, Lafayette and Crawford halls will follow the same schedule.
Security guards are already posted in Thurston and Potomac halls, where students must sign guests in at a front desk.
Hay said UPD’s community service aides – who are all students – would keep an eye on certain buildings from midnight until 4 a.m. Those residence halls include seniors-only South Hall, sophomore halls including West End, Fulbright, The Dakota and Guthridge, as well as International House.
Officers will also patrol 1959 E Street, 2109 F Street, Townhouse Row, Building JJ, Schenley, Francis Scott Key, Munson and Strong halls, along with the graduate student residence halls The Aston and the Hall on Virginia Avenue.
He said three officers patrol across the Mount Vernon Campus at all times.
Students should remain alert and increase their “sense of community” by notifying UPD if they see suspicious activity, the chief said.
“As an example, if an individual in his 40s is loitering outside of a locked residence hall at 2 a.m., ask yourself why. Is he waiting to tail-gate into the building? We would love to get calls from students when they see things like this,” Hay said.
Still seems like a revenue grab, making it easier to write up late night partying students trying to get in. Half the fun was trying to get past the student assistant at the front and get your hammered friend up to their room, or the free entertainment that came from watching others do the same.
Revenue grab?
Revenue Grab= reason for SJS to exist and extort money from students.
The GW Patriot Act seems to have arrived at GW
I can already see a article for next semester: “EMERGs Jump Among Upperclassmen.”
Moreover, the sexual assault in City Hall this September occurred at 1:10 PM on a Saturday. According to this article upperclassmen dorms will be monitored from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, which is, oddly enough, the same time when people might be coming back from drinking.
Also, if anyone wanted to break into the dorms, this article just revealed which ones will be guarded and at what times. Seems smart to me! At least they’ll catch more intoxicated students.
Here is my issue with this new program. A) Anyone who has been here as a freshman knows that all you need to do to piggy back is wait until their is a large group entering and the community service aid is too busy signing people in, you can just walk right up. B) How many officers does this take off the street, and if it doesn’t, how many officers are being hired and at what cost to the university. C) We need an autonomous system. D) I agree with … and gatecrasher, this is just another crackdown on drinking, with no real solutions.
It seems to me that a lot of what UPD does is put up a lot of smoke and mirrors to try to say that we are safe.
Case in point: Our UPD officers are supposed to be able to stop a gunman from entering the dorms with their batons and OC Spray. Think about that illusion for a minute.
I think about that illusion quite a bit. UPD can’t protect themselves. How can we expect them to keep us safe?
We can’t expect them to keep us safe. They’re supposed to hide when someone has a gun and call MPD. Does anyone actually believe that UPD has the close relationship with MPD that administrators keep talking up? UPD will be armed as soon as one of them, or a student is shot. A murder 4 blocks away isn’t going to do the trick.
I think some of the women officers who are built like linebackers could tackle a gunman. Or at least stop a bullet with their massive girth.
This is very true. But everyone can stop a bullet. Once.
some bullets go through…
UPD can’t catch muggers, laptop or bike thieves if they are sitting inside the buildings. Let them stay outside and actually catch criminals!
The Dakota- the building where numerous homeless people have been found which also has a bus stop out front used by the meth clinic members and lacks a second secure dorm isn’t a concern for the university yet Ivory, which always has STUDENTS in and out is….?
FIX THE LIGHTS AT PATHWAY(BTWN TENNIS COURTS & SOCCER FIELD) GOING TO WEST HALL. THOSE LIGHTS ARE BUZZING LIKE A 100 BEES.
If you don’t tell Facilities, they won’t know. Put in a Fix-It request… http://my.gwu.edu/mod/fixit.