The Right to be Protected on Campus

Guest Commentary
Chris Motola
Class of 2017

It’s no secret that our campus is not located in the safest of areas. One only needs to check their student emails to see the latest crime alert, often times with the victim being a CUA student. Armed robberies are frequent, such as the one at the &Pizza, a popular student spot, only a month ago. Last year, 8 students were robbed at gunpoint in the woods near Opus. This is not to mention the burglaries and robberies at Brookland Ridge Apartments. Other nearby DC schools face crime, too. Last year, UDC had an armed robber who stole $7,000 from the university bookstore at gunpoint. Howard University Police recently arrested a student who was illegally carrying a weapon on campus. These are just two examples, but it is clear that we all share the same risk of violent crime in and around our campuses. The difference is that unlike us, Howard and UDC have an armed Campus Police. This is for a good reason, as there is a clear need for this type of protection. Any level of crime demands a proper and effective police presence to respond. Howard and UDC armed their Campus Police, and Catholic University should do the same. Arming Catholic’s DPS would enable them to respond more effectively to violent crime, as well as create a safer and more secure campus environment going forward.

Contrary to popular belief, our Campus Police are more than mere ‘rent-a-cops’. Many DPS officers are commissioned officers. They have full arrest powers, like any normal MPD officer. As a community, we already trust these people to protect our campus. Do we not owe them, and ourselves, the ability to do so effectively?

The risks of local crime mentioned above do not even take into account the possibility of a school shooting on campus, which as we have unfortunately seen, is a risk that no school is averse to. If such a thing were to happen at CUA, what would happen? We would likely have to wait for armed police to arrive on campus. If so, what is the point of having a campus police force if they are entirely powerless to help us when we would need them most?

Villanova, another Catholic college, recently adopted a measure to arm its campus police. Villanova has the luxury of being located in Radnor Township, whose “low crime rate has consistently won it recognition as one of the safest places to live in the Philadelphia Region,” according to the township website. Despite this, the school has still recognized the risks that all colleges sadly face. here is an excerpt from the school’s official statement:

“We are extremely fortunate that Villanova has been a safe place, but we would be remiss not to consider what has been happening on college campuses across the country. These kinds of incidents threaten our safety—and peace of mind—making the need for enhanced campus protection essential.”

Again, Villanova is a safe place, and even they see the need to have the safety net of an armed police presence. Countless other schools across the nation have done the same thing. What makes CUA (which does not have the luxury of a low crime location) any different?

In the end, it is important to understand that I am not calling for Marshal Law, or a campus SWAT team with a machine gun on every corner. I am especially opposed to allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campus (God forbid). I am merely arguing that we should provide the police, trained law enforcers who we already trust with police powers, with the tools they deserve to do their job as best they can. We do not benefit at all by diminishing their ability to serve and protect us.