New committee suggests strategies to VCU Police

Cyrus Nuval
Staff Writer

Combating students’ lack of awareness on safety issues was the main topic of the first meeting of VCU’s new Safety and Security Advisory Committee on Nov. 7.

The committee is an initiative to allow members of the VCU community to give feedback on the VCU Police Department’s security efforts directly to VCU Police Chief John Venuti and other officers. It was created in response to facilitate community discussion after a series of high-profile armed robberies on and around campus.

“Each of us in this room have and hopefully represent the different perspectives at VCU. We hope to share these perspectives with one another in order to better serve the VCU community,” Venuti said, adding that the committee does not have direct control over the police department.

The meeting’s discussion centered on brainstorming new ideas for old problems: how to increase police visibility and better inform students of security procedures.

Some students said that students would feel a lot safer with better information on the VCU and Richmond Police Department’s security measures as well as the law. Venuti mentioned possibly including student safety as part of the UNIV 101 class. Other proposals included developing online tools that detail which routes are the safest to walk at night.

VCU’s sustainability coordinator Jordan Starbuck noted that increased access to information may be a double-edged sword, as heightened awareness may also lead to distorted perceptions.

“Some students believe that it is only now and not in past years that these crimes are being committed in the campus. In truth, crime has always been present,” Starbuck said. “Now however, we are simply more aware of these happenings due to texts and emails from the VCUPD and some students overreact or make grand assumptions about the information they are given.”

Those in attendance agreed to place Starbuck in charge of the new advisory committee.

One way the VCU Police are trying to combat perceptions of danger are through increasing police visibility. The police officers in attendance said that despite the increased number of patrols and efforts to express visibility, students still complain that there is a lack of visible police officers on the streets at night.

Dean of Student Affairs Reuban Rodriguez said patrolling officers may be encouraged to talk to passing students in order to remind them that there are officers in the vicinity. Student Government Association president Jae Lee indicated that giving students incentive may be helpful. Students would be more inclined to take notice of the patrols if they were given some sort of prize for taking a picture with a certain number of police officers, he said.

None of the proposals during the meeting have been made official, but Venuti said that he will take them into consideration.

The meeting included Venuti, Rodriguez, Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Charles Klink, officers of VCU’s Student Government Association and members of VCU’s faculty and staff.

The makeup of the committee is not yet set in stone. “We expect to have a rolling roster, especially with students and professors. Some might leave due to schedule complications and some might join,” Rodriguez said.