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Public Safety needs new plan for parking lot security
Parking lot security is becoming an issue at SCSU.
A "crime wave" of sorts has been sweeping across campus; 30 cars have been broken into over the past month.
Car stereos, stereo accessories, speakers, CDs, cash and personal items have been stolen.
The Public Safety Crime Report recently posted on the Internet states that in three years (1999-2001) thefts increased 50 percent.
As was the case last year, the south end of campus � particularly Q-Lot � is again becoming the hotspot for these crimes.
Most students who drive their cars to campus end up parking in Q-Lot. They pay $100 per year to park almost a mile south of the main part of campus, in a dirt parking lot that has proved to provide them with very little security or peace of mind.
Q-Lot's location is so out-of-the-way that it is impractical for students to keep an eye on their cars on a consistant basis.
The $100 parking fee is paid directly to Public Safety. But what is PSD doing to protect students' cars?
PSD does patrol remote places like K-Lot and Q-Lot, but they obviously aren't patrolling them enough.
Whatever PSD is doing now, they need to come up with an alternative plan.
They might try working with the St. Cloud Police Department to, between the two departments, increase the number of patrols through Q- and K-Lots. Increasing law enforcement in the area might deter some, if not a significant amount, of the criminal activity that takes place in parking lots.
A better plan, however, would be to have Public Safety station several officers in Q-Lot on a regular basis. PSD would have to determine how many officers would be needed to patrol Q-Lot effectively, but if having officers in the Q- and K-Lot area can deter crime, the presence would be worth it.
No matter what happens, PSD needs to adjust the way it is patrolling campus. Students' cars in Q-Lot cannot defend themselves; with the money students pay, they deserve to have campus law enforcement keep parking lots secure.
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