As if students didn't have enough to worry about between classes, studying and working, they're now being asked to help guard cars in MSU commuter lots.
Recent vehicle break-ins have prompted police to tell students they're partly responsible for looking after the commuter lots.
"Police officers can't do everything," MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said in the State New's "Break-ins plague outlying car lots. "The community's responsibility is to fight crime. Part of the students' responsibility is to help out."
It's the police's responsibility to protect the students and faculty members on campus and our property. That's why we pay taxes, tuition and parking tickets.
Understandably, the police department has limited resources and is in charge of watching a large campus, but it's still its job.
One good solution would be video cameras surveying the lots. But according to the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety, or DPPS, it's too expensive to put surveillance cameras in every parking lot.
Many of the break-ins occur in three lots south of the railroad tracks. Although it might be too expensive to install cameras in all the lots, it might be prudent to put them in at least those three.
The total budget for the parking division of DPPS is $1,886,477. A portion of that comes directly from people who park anywhere on campus.
The department collected 91,689 paid parking tickets in 2004. In addition, people who park legally pay for passes or put plenty of money into parking meters.
While it's everybody's responsibility to report crimes if they witness them, it's difficult to imagine this is a feasible solution to the problem of all these break-ins.
Most of these crimes happen at night in parking lots that are far from campus and lack any residential presence. There simply isn't anyone around watching these lots.
What does DPPS expect us to do: camp out in the commuter lots?
If students see a car being broken into and call the police, by the time the officers arrive the suspects are already gone and there is a very small chance of apprehending them at all. It's a difficult situation when students are given such heavy responsibility.
What students can do is remove or hide valuables in their cars and be watchful of the parking area around them while in the lots.
People pay to park near the MSU campus. It's not too much to ask that some of their money goes directly toward making sure their vehicles are kept safe.
