It’s clear that there is a need for more safety guidelines around campus.

With homework, classes and extracurricular activities keeping students preoccupied, safety is not their number one priority. Therefore, as students we depend on the University Police Department to follow their mission statement in providing a safe environment for Chico State.

This past week, I visited the University Police Department office twice. During the first occasion, I accompanied another student because her property was stolen right outside of the Bell Memorial Union. The campus officer informed us that if there was any chance of recovering any stolen property, it would have to be on camera or contain a serial number.

So we decided to file a report to be able to view the footage, since we noticed cameras around the area. We were then informed by the officer that, the camera, along with other cameras around campus, were not functioning to their full extent. We left the station feeling hopeless at the possibility of recovering what was stolen or anything that may be stolen in the future.

On the second occasion, I wanted to follow up on whether the camera was now functioning. The results were appalling, as it turns out, the cameras had been off during both of my visits and it made me wonder if they were ever turned on at all.

How can we expect University Police to keep us and our property safe, if they depend on cameras around campus that are turned off?

Also, why did they not do anything after our first visit, knowing crimes were happening where the cameras were off?

Why are they not making sure that they have adequate equipment and tools?

We see officers come in and out of campus occasionally and they can’t be everywhere at once. If they rely on camera footage to solve crimes, then they should ensure that these areas with non-functioning recording devices are under a constant watchful eye.

The point is that you shouldn’t put all your trust in UPD and the cameras around campus. As an adult in college, it’s obvious you must take on responsibilities that include taking care of yourself and your belongings. It would be helpful, however, if we had more assitance from the security technology put in place around campus.

Karen Limones can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.