Despite the fact that ASU's $500,000 blue-light system could use a few improvements, students and faculty should be assured that our safety on campus remains a high priority with administrators.
Although about half the amount of annual calls that come through these enticing boxes are from visiting children, the boxes' availability throughout campus definitely helps report crimes in progress. That means less assaults, less burglaries, less thefts and overall, a safer university environment.
Many students are unaware of what the 230 blue boxes are used for and just how much they cost, but this should not serve as a deterrent to maintaining the system and creating more blue boxes on our ever-expanding campus. Deterrence is the key word here. While it is easy to do the math to figure how much each of these little gems cost, it's impossible to measure how many petty crimes, such as vandalism and graffiti, or serious crimes, such as rape and assault, have been prevented by the blue-box presence alone. As a DPS official eloquently put it, if it helps one person, then it's an effective system.
Also, a May report on a survey conducted at ASU gave campus Department of Public Safety high marks on its performance and attitude. Their visibility is high and their work protecting ASU students and staff and their property is tireless. Although frequent bike thefts have taught students that nothing short of kryptonite locks will keep our bikes safe, we should realize that police can't be everywhere at once. Students and faculty need to take the necessary precautions to safeguard our possessions.
Some are quick to judge our friendly little safety boxes as costly substitutes for an increased number of patrolling police on campus. Others are confused about what exactly justifies using our boxes.
While there certainly is no substitute for an armed policeman, it doesn't take a molecular biology graduate student to realize that the boxes provide an additional level of security. As for the ambiguity, follow the simple rule: If you think something is wrong or out of place, it probably is.
Without a doubt, DPS would rather respond to something minor, like a flat tire or dead battery at midnight in lot 59, than miss out on the opportunity to derail a burglary, rape or assault on one of our students.
Sure, the system could use improvements. Nobody seems to know exactly how many calls come in each year from the blue boxes or who is going to respond -- many times it's an ASU employee. But hey, it's better than nothing. So show some respect to our little blue boxes.
