Editorial: Safety talk

Communication between students and the administration — like the kind Ominsky would like to foster — is important. When communication breaks down, it results in headaches for both parties, as illustrated by the recent confusion resulting from the way Public Safety confiscated unregistered student bikes from Forbes College. Removing unregistered bikes may have been appropriate had students been given advance warning, but students did not receive an e-mail until 8:01 a.m. the day their bikes were removed. Had this e-mail been sent earlier, it is likely that students would have registered their bikes, and Public Safety would not have had to spend time removing them. This kind of disconnect between recorded policies and student understanding of those policies — which also caused friction recently through the enforcement of fines for room painting — is frequent at Princeton.

Ominsky’s proposal to hold drop-in hours would be a good first step to improve communication between Public Safety and the student body on a variety of important issues. For example, in light of the ongoing series of lewdness incidents on campus, some students would like to see an increased presence of Public Safety officers after dark. Public Safety has already increased the number of foot patrols, but more student feedback could help the department determine if this increased presence is doing enough to give students peace of mind. Holding office hours is a good way to solicit this kind of feedback about Public Safety’s policies.

Student opinion could also play an important role in determining how the emergency notification system is used. After the delay in notifying students of a potential gunman on campus last March, Public Safety and the administration now appear much more willing to alert students to a potential threat earlier in their investigation. In settling on a notification protocol that ensures campus safety while not unnecessarily alarming those on campus, the administration needs to understand how the community defines “unnecessary alarm.” This can only be accomplished by consulting students and other members of the University community.

Having an established means for students to express concerns such as these is necessary for Public Safety to truly be a community police force. Ominsky’s desire to reach out to students is a praiseworthy step, and students will hopefully take him up on his offer in the coming months. We are excited to see the product of this dialogue.