Necessary improvements needed for security escort

Katherine Johnson
Staff Columnist

When I first learned about VCU’s security escort system, I was impressed by the university’s initiative to help keep students safe.

But while VCU’s security escort service is a sensible idea and does improve safety for those who use it, the system is in desperate need of a change. Drawing from both personal experience and complaints from students who have used the service, one thing is clear: Improvements must be made.

At times, the escort has taken an hour or more to pick up a student. Some drivers will even leave students if they don’t immediately see them. The current faults of escort have defeated the very purpose of it. When drivers don’t wait for students or scan the area without stopping, they’re not taking their job or the students’ safety seriously.

President Michael Rao announced at the end of last month that VCU would begin using a pilot program called RamSafe. The change was based upon the safety town hall meeting, held Oct. 11, the same week six robberies occurred within an hour of each other on or in the vicinity of the Monroe Park Campus.

RamSafe allows students to “arrange for a ride and see its location in real time entirely from your smartphone,” according to President Rao.The pilot program will begin on Dec. 1 and Rao hopes it will be “fully operational in time for the spring semester.”

VCU should work to ensure that RamSafe is up and running by the spring semester, as it would be a great asset to student safety. The new system will help prevent students from becoming victims of the next crime alert as they wait for a ride.

Students become a security risk when they face long waits for escort. Although they’re trying to avoid risk by waiting for a ride instead of walking at night, they could easily be targeted by criminals, especially if they are waiting alone.

By providing students with a location of their ride, they can wait inside a building until it arrives. If students did this under the current setup, there’s a good chance drivers might mistakely skip them. Instead of waiting for another escort bus, they may take the chance of walking alone in the dark.

In addition to RamSafe, the university should do a better job in advertising and promoting the security escort. The more students are aware that the option is available to them, the less likely they’ll face conditions and situations that might lead to criminal incidents.

Newer students may not be familiar with city life, so it’s important that the university educate them on security and risk reduction. VCU and the VCU Police department are working to inform students about the precautions they should take, but if services such as escort can’t follow through, students are still at risk.

Although students chose to attend school here and are accountable for themselves, the university ultimately benefits from student safety. That benefit is undercut by poor service and reflects negatively upon the administration.

There’s almost no reason a student shouldn’t wait for the escort: It’s free, runs from the early evening to early morning, and takes students whereever they need to go, up to a mile off campus. The only negative aspect of the escort service is the waiting time, which VCU is working to improve. Students should be understanding of these issues while the university addresses them.

While the VCU community has seen their fair share of crime alerts this semester, it’s clear that the university wants a safe environment for all students and staff. VCU should be applauded for the measures they’re taking to increase security in hopes of reducing crime. President Rao has made it clear that the concerns of students were heard at the town hall safety meeting, and the university has taken students’ suggestions seriously.

The school is providing these services and working on improvements. VCU escort has a lot of potential with the RamSafe program, but only if they can work through the issues that already exist. Student feedback will be the ultimate judge of whether this program is successful or not.