Illustration by Danni Rains
Dom Brown
Photography & Social Media Editor
To whom it may concern,
On behalf of the staff, I would like to apologize for any confusion regarding the published letter that ran in the second issue. The staff takes great pride in reporting factual and timely material, and we strive to produce our material in such a manner. However, from time to time, we receive letters to the editor that do not meet such requirements. The letter published was not edited since the policy on community submissions is to edit for length and style. We ran the letter, respecting citizens’ right to free speech. Despite adherence to this policy and an educated well written letter, there remain points requiring clarification.
First is that former Chief of police Tim Bryan is a veteran. Mr. Bryan has been a career trooper serving as an officer of the law for the last. Next is the issue with the tactical vests. After speaking to Mr. Bryan about the vests, he was actually opposed to its implementation and preferred the tactical belts. One thing to note is while wearing the tactical vests, police officers better disperse the weight of their equipment, reducing the fatigue of their hips.
The central point of the letter was to begin discussion on what would best suit the college as far as its security on campus and well-being of the students. Throughout the letter, it is evident that the author cares greatly for the well-being of the students and that students should be the primary focus of policy on campus. After speaking to Professor of Criminal Justice and Behavioral Science Jeff Tymony, right now whether intentional or not, the police employ a suppression and reaction policy towards potential threats. With the concealed carry laws on campus, which went into effect on Saturday, July 1, and close to 9,000 students attending the college, many of which are over the age of 21, it is increasingly difficult and almost impossible to identify potential threats. Here it comes in handy that there are individuals that will be able to quickly respond to any incident. The flip side to suppression tactics is prevention and intervention in order to identify and reach out to prevent potential threats to colleges. This side of the spectrum is grossly lacking. There is one counselor on campus and the place to go lies in the middle of the two dorms. Anybody going in for assistance has the potential to be identified.
Cost was another issue in the letter. While it is true that the budget for campus police has increased, it’s probably safe to say that the cost of reworking an entire system, hiring new security personnel and more counselors would match the current budget. Even if we switch over to a new system and policy, how many students that know of illegal activities going on around campus would be willing to snitch on other students? At a two-year college, students come and go relatively fast, and most people bunker down and try to make friends that they can. Also what all is there to do other than throw a party off campus where the students are out of the college’s jurisdiction anyway? There are a lot of factors that would need to be taken into account and addressed.
Mr. Bryan has since moved on from Butler Community College after many years of excellent work and has left his seat as chief of police open. This offers an interesting situation to either continue the path laid, or to pursue a new policy, and prior to, weigh the pros and cons.