Although more yellow-vested bicycle cops will now be seen in the area surrounding Main Campus, the Clery Act does not require Temple to send out alerts regarding crime in the extended patrol area.
When the off-campus brick assaults happened at the end of March, which allegedly influenced Temple’s decision to enlarge the patrol area, students were left in the dark. We fended for ourselves and learned about the incident at the same rate as the rest of the country – through local and national media outlets.
TU Alert and TU Ready purport to be resources for the student community, according to Temple’s website. Because students live in this area, we should be the first to know about crimes that happen nearby.
The extended patrol area appears to comply with this concern. Though Charlie Leone, executive director of Campus Safety Services said that the expanded border will result in more alerts in the off-campus area, the law doesn’t require them to do so. We can only hope he stays true to his word.
Knowing that more police officers are keeping watch of the surrounding area is good reason for students to feel grateful toward Temple’s administration. But we should not forget the major source of discontent in the aftermath of the brick assaults.
In order for students to truly feel at ease, Temple should promise that despite the fact that it meets the Clery Act’s standards without providing TU Alerts in the new patrol area, it will uphold itself to a standard of transparency and concern when it comes to students affected by crime – whether that crime occurs in the old or new patrol zone.
This problem transcends legal regulations. As an institution, Temple has a responsibility to keep its students as safe as possible. Hiding in Clery Act loopholes would only serve as a recipe for another uproar like the brick attacks.
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