• Login
  • Archives
  • Contact Us
The Texas Horn
  • News
  • Opinion
  • History
  • Sports
  • About
  • Join
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
The Texas Horn
  • News
  • Opinion
  • History
  • Sports
  • About
  • Join
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
The Texas Horn
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Limiting Campus Police Is a Dangerous Idea

The UTPD is necessary for student safety on campus.

Sterling Mosley by Sterling Mosley
8:52 pm, Friday, January 28th, 2022
Reading Time: 3 mins read
6
0
Limiting Campus Police Is a Dangerous Idea

UTPD bicycle police on the Main Mall 2015(Photo by Marsha Miller)

57
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Defund the Police. It’s an idea that many have latched onto since the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. However, the idea itself is unpopular and misguided. Yet, its ideas are still being pushed by many on campus.

Throughout last semester you may have noticed an increase in student protests related to policing. The student group, Cops Off Campus, predominantly led these protests. The group openly advocates for the abolishment of campus police. 

If you’re a freshman, you may also remember the interruption of the student commencement at the beginning of last semester by the same group.

Cops Off Campus student group protesting the Eyes of Texas song at the 2021 student commencement at the tower.

The group’s most recent protest, which took place last November, was in response to the $8 million investment in UTPD. A spokesman for the organization who identified himself as John said that the increased police presence “would make shootings more common because there is less money going to mental health services.” 

I’ve run into similar ideas multiple times on campus aside from these protests, most notably in the Senate of College Council’s Campus Safety Beyond Policing event last November. Most students actively expressed feeling endangered by the very officers meant to protect them and advocated instead for increased funding to Longhorn EMS or the CMHC.

However, many of these ideas are built on an unstable foundation. To those who express such sentiments, whether in Student Government or protesting on Speedway, I would ask if they believe that increasing those services would truly lead to more safety on campus. In a city of nearly a million people, where the campus is just a small stratum of the population, it is far better to deter crime from happening in the first place than to attempt to deal with the side effects with resources restricted to the 40 Acres.

With the failure of Proposition A, which would have increased funding to the Austin Police Department to hire more officers, UTPD will have to play an increasing role in ensuring the safety of students on campus as APD response times continue to increase and crime goes unpunished.

According to the Director of Communications and Strategic Marketing for UTPD, Stephanie Jackis, the recent investment “will help the Department increase officer presence, while shortening response times.”

The increasing prevalence of anti-police demonstrations is worrying, and if the policies that the Cops Off Campus group advocated for were actually put into practice, it would become dangerous.

“Officer presence can often deter crime in the area,” Jackis said. “The impact of less officers would result in slower response times.” As we have seen throughout Austin, slower response times lead to a higher likelihood of suspects escaping, and they deter crime to a lesser degree than if officers were present in the community.

Whether it be shootings, robberies, or carjackings, I’ve been told that many feel unsafe when walking through West Campus. If we want to alleviate those concerns and create a safe 40 Acres for all students, we need to stop advocating against UTPD and instead advocate for them.

Tags: austinBLMCampuspolicestudentsUT
Sterling Mosley

Sterling Mosley

Sterling Mosley is the Managing Editor of The Texas Horn. He is from Prosper, Texas, and currently attends the University of Texas at Austin as a junior. He is getting a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, History, International Relations & Global Studies, and Government and is minoring in Portuguese, Business, Spanish, and Security Studies. Sterling is an officer at the Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at UT, the Vice President of International Relations & Global Studies, co-president of Intercultural Conversations, Internal Director of Students for Central and Eastern Europe, a member of the Senate of College Councils, an officer in UT Young Historians, a co-team lead for the Innovations for Peace and Development Research lab's Governance Team, and a member of the lab's Political and Economic Sovereignty Team. Outside campus, Sterling has worked with the Borgen Project as a political intern and volunteered with the David Purdue campaign in the Georgia 2021 runoff elections. Currently, he is an intern with the Leadership Institute’s development department in Arlington, Virginia, and is participating in the Heritage Foundation's Academy program.

Related Posts

The Dangers of Depoliticization and Neutralization
Opinion

The Dangers of Depoliticization and Neutralization

by Efrain Velez
Friday, May 12th, 2023
The Silicon Valley Bank Collapse and the Future of Regional Banks
Opinion

The Silicon Valley Bank Collapse and the Future of Regional Banks

by Kevin Chen
Wednesday, May 10th, 2023
air air pollution chimney clouds
Opinion

Small Modular Reactors and the Future of Energy

by Franky Rollins
Monday, May 8th, 2023

Get The Horn in Your Inbox

Trending Articles

  • Best Joe Biden Quotes

    Best Joe Biden Quotes

    294 shares
    Share 118 Tweet 74
  • Best Kamala Harris Quotes

    401 shares
    Share 160 Tweet 100
  • An Interview with Michael Seifert

    49 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 12
  • Small Modular Reactors and the Future of Energy

    4 shares
    Share 2 Tweet 1
  • The Dangers of Depoliticization and Neutralization

    3 shares
    Share 1 Tweet 1
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Join
  • Login
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 The Texas Horn

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • History
  • Sports
  • Podcast
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact Us
  • Join Our Team

© 2022 The Texas Horn

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.