Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Security By Stephen Ridded Editor in Chief Sixteen of the 2,8 recommendations made to USC President James B. Holderman in a report from a special committee set up to investigate campus security were based on inaccurate and erroneous information, claim two USC officials. Both the director of Campus Safety Security, George Key, and USC Campus Police Chief Marvin Harrelson said the report was based on incorrect facts and figures. "I don't see how and why the intelligent professionals that were on the committee came up with such far-fetched data and with information that is so opposite the real situation," Key said. "Many of our officers who were in contact with the committee had the feeling that the findings of this committee were a foregone conclusion," Key said. "The committee had three months to make an in-depth investigation, but they spent very little t 1 m a Hmirn hnro 1 aa Lr i m rf ot Aiir iiiviv miiv uvYYii iiv/i v ivn/niug c* i- wui operation," he said. "We offered to let them ride with police officers on patrol and to let them look at our whole arrangement, but most of them didn't doit." "I feel like our input into the report was practically nil," Key said. "The committee did not take advantage of the opportunities we offered them to take a close look at our system. We didn't have a cnance 10 even discuss inings wun them." KEY AND IIARRELSON said the arrest statistics and the clearance rates the committee reported on were incomplete. "A lot of crimes occur on campus that were not used in computing their statistics," Harrelson said. "If they included all the crimes that occurred on campus, we would have come out with about a 10 percent clearance by arrest percentage." During a six-month period from October 1979 through March 1980, campus police statistics show 961 incidences of crime. Campus police made 91 arrests during that period for a 9.4 clearance by arrest percentage. Overall, 193 cases were cleared for a total clearance rate of 20 percent. On the issue of officer training, 1 IpiiNfaq officials < 1 I ?? oni/4 nil Villi f tim r\f iiauciouii oaiu uiai an uui iwu ui the campus police officers had completed the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy. The committee had reported that over half of the force "had not had the benefit ol standardized formal law en forcement training." "I don't know where they gol their figures," Harrelson said "The law passed in 1972 requiring all new officers to undergo man datory training so I guess the committee just checked the files or when our officers were hired anc assumed that if they were hirec before that date that they had no) undergone the training. What the) didn't know was that we were sending our officers over to the Criminal Justice Academy wa> back in 1908 before that law ever Key said the reason 41 percent oi the people surveyed by the com mittee are dissatisfied wit! campus police was because thej are dissatisfied by the ages of th< police. "They don't understanc that we had to build this force u{ from nothing when we started ir 1968," Harrelson said. "We at tracted high-quality individuals with experience that were in the 38 42 age bracket. These men hav( served as dedicated police officen at USC for a long time." HARRELSON SAID the university has hired many young officers during the past few years "We have a hieh turnover of voiinc o ? ? c officers because the pay scale is sc low," he said. "There is nc question that the poor pay makes them leave." More than 35 percent of the crimes on campus occur in residence halls, according to Key "These crimes include unlockec room situations and roommates stealing from roommates," he said. "Campus police do not patro in the residence halls so it is hare to deter this kind of crime," h< said. "For example," Harrelson said "take a case where a studen leaves a $20 bill on his desk in hi! dorm room. Someone comes in ant steals it while he is taking ? shower. There is virtually no waj that we can clear that crime." Harrelson said there has been i tendency on the force to help th< students out whenever possible ?jjjT w HfcMHumm WZ (3 and SflLOOn claim rep< "If a student is drunk outside a residence hall and is bordering on what could be disorderly conduct, the tendency would be for the ofi ficer to escort him back into the residence hall," Harrelson said. "We could have the officer make an arrest and pick-up an easy t clearance, but then you have a numbers game. We don't want to \ have to play a numbers game." ; ONE CAMPUS POLICE officer 1 reacted to the security report by 1 saying, "The overall attitude of the 1 department is 'if they want t arrests, they'll get arrests' instead r of us turning students over to their ; deans for disciplinary action." The i officer was referring to the / namnin; nnlir?p? nrartipp of hirnino \ over students' names to their deans for disciplinary action when f they commit minor offenses. - - "We have had a crime 1 prevention program for four i years," Key said. "The lack of ; support by the university of this i program, however, is appalling. ) The only thing that will help is a 1 crime prevention program thai has the complete support of the ; New qrie ; may be i > ) By Karen Addy * Editorial Page Editor 1 A law passed last week allowing state colleges and universities to 1 set up their own grievance boards 1 may be challenged in court for being unconstitutional, according ' to a Columbia attorney. 5 Ann Furr said the law may J violate the equal protection clause 1 in the Constitution. She said she * was not aware of any definite plans ^ f.o bring the matter to court. At least one faculty member is ? directly affected by the new law. 1 Robert Tate, a French professor 5 still has a case coming up before ! [ r? win.w..iin? - I Golden 1/1/ They're gonna I the Golden Spur e sure and attend. T | i includes special be f now and then. The sj House. Class will [ I remember Golden |j are the best. | I Tonight! | Mi lie 40" IS 12 oz. bo g It happens eve Biii mmm % * )rt incom Campus Police Chief Marvin Ha entire university behind it." ; The campus security report was dnnp hv 'A 5?ppial nnmmittnn cot nr? ' by President Holderman. The committee began its investigation ! in February and submitted its wance bot inconstitv the state Budget and Control Board. CRAIG DAVIS, Tate's attorney, would not comment on the situation the new law has created. Davis did say that others who would be affertpH hv fhn 1 au; Q faculty members that were denied tenure the past spring. Philip Zeltner, a professor who was reinstated by the State Grievance Board, said he would not be affected adversely by the new law. Zeltner was one of six faculty members who were named in a suit filed by the university this 'ednesdays. ie holding a special class th very Wednesday night. One here's no name for the cours >er and wine prices and some ' joint is easy to find cause it continue until midnight ev* Wednesdays at the Spur cau ttl0s ^jjp ry Wednesday...at ?ct maam? rre/son. (Photo by Dean a Easier) report to the president May 1. Holderman withheld the report for six weeks while he reviewed the committee's recommendations, but he released it to the public June 16. ird Itll/HUI spring. In the suit, which was later dropped, the university claimed the Budget and Control Board and the S ate Grievance Board were overstepping their authority when they ordered the school to reinstate certain faculty members. The newly passed law will not affect any of the people who have been granted reinstatement or tenure through the state grievance system. THE TENURE CONTROVERSY arose when the State see Grievance, page 5 ~ w r* I ui rneopur is Summer down at that you want to be e but the curriculum good entertainment s over at the Russell ery Wednesday. 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