The USM Police Department is reviewing the current escort policy for next fall. It plans to make changes that will emphasize safety issues rather than escorting students who do not feel like walking.
Some police officials say the service has been overused in the past, while some students say an escort is needed because of the lack of parking near residence halls late at night.
Currently, the closest parking lots to the residence halls are typically filled by 9 p.m. Students who return late to campus have limited choices.
If they illegally park in their residence hall’s fire lane they risk getting a ticket. Many end up hiking the five-minute, often windy and dimly lit walk back to their residence hall from the only parking lot that has spaces available at night, G-20. But others call from an emergency box to request a police escort.
Next fall, students requesting a ride from the police might not get one. Some may just have to walk, according to proposed changes in the escort policy.
The police have noticed more escort requests from parking lots to campus buildings and residence halls. According to police reports for the month of April there have been approximately 38 escort requests.
“Students just want rides from one building to the other,” said Rudy Somma, public safety communications supervisor. “We want to keep it from being a taxi service.”
USM Police Chief Lisa Beecher said the new policy would incorporate guidelines for when to request and not request an escort. The policy plans to emphasize walking escorts, which will free police vehicles for emergency calls.
It will also suggest groups of three or more students are less likely to be in jeopardy, and should therefore walk without an escort to their destination.
“You don’t need to be escorted if you are in a group,” said Nicole Saccone, a freshman political science major. “You are already being escorted by your friends.”
However, some students want police escorts in any situation.
“We pay to go here, they [the police] should pick us up regardless of the number of people we are with,” said Haley O’Leary, an undeclared freshman.
The Gorham campus is also not completely safe, according to recent public safety notices issued by University officials following two recent sexual assaults that occurred on or near campus.
“I think with the current issues [assaults] it is silly to present a change at a time like this,” said O’Leary.
Somma said there has not been an increase in escort requests following the recent assault incidents on campus.
According to Somma there are usually one or two officers on duty each night and this lack of personnel causes constraints in the response to escort requests.
“If we have two or three calls we wouldn’t make people wait,” Beecher said. “We try to get there as soon as possible.”
However, events on the Gorham campus can be unpredictable and at any moment there might be an emergency call, forcing the escort request to wait.
“Every escort request differs and safety is the priority in each situation,” Beecher said.
Many people have a valid reason to use the service. For example, Kara Petersen a junior, criminology major occasionally requests an escort during the week, when she gets back to campus alone and late at night.
“The police were conveniently parked in the freshman parking lot and were willing to give me a ride to my dorm,” Petersen said.
“We plan to not provide escorts for people who don’t want to walk from spot A to B or who have three or four people in a group,” Beecher said. “If they are not experiencing any type of fear, they are abusing the escort service.”
Most students feel USM is a safe place, but that police escorts should be available if a student is alone.
Other students agree there needs to be a change.
“If they moved commuter parking to parking lot G-20, I would not have a problem walking to my dorm,” said Kevin Colwell a freshman undeclared.
Colwell said students should be hired to drive vans from the parking lots to the residence halls.
Members of the police department are researching other colleges’ and universities’ escort services to see how they differ. For example some colleges have students from residential life who escort students to and from campus buildings.
While other campuses offer security personnel, whose duty is to escort students, USM does not. Instead the police and public service assistants are responsible for escorting students. The police department also will investigate past years’ escort requests to determine a better system.
The new policy is not in writing yet, according to Somma.
“We do the best we can with what we have,” he said.
Gorham Editor Erin Zwirn can be contacted at: [email protected]