LSUPD adds more security on, around campus

On Dec. 14, 2007, University students moved cautiously through campus to take their final exams for the fall semester. Though two doctoral students had been slain in execution-style shootings on campus the night before, the University continued normal operations.

The Baton Rouge Police Department called the double-murders of doctoral students Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam an isolated incident which would not spread to other areas of campus. The next day, police ramped up patrols around campus and warned students to be alert while finishing exams before semester break.

Finals were concluded without another incident of violence, and the University breathed a sigh of relief when students began their exodus from campus for the winter holiday.

The LSU Police Department spearheaded the investigation, assisted by BRPD, among other agencies. Three suspects have been arrested during the past year, but two were released with all charges dismissed, and the case remains open.

A nationwide trend of campus violence has stirred many universities to rethink their security measures. When University students were personally affected, both the LSUPD and the administration were put in a position to respond.

"I think [campus security] has become somewhat routine, but security is a much different issue than it was 30 years ago when I came into higher education," said Chancellor Michael Martin. "This is all part of the new world we live in."

Immediately following the murders in the Edward Gay apartment complex, campus patrols were dramatically increased to ensure no more violence would follow. After the incident proved to be isolated to the single invasion, the University entered a new phase of security.

During the past year, security measures have increased with a more carefully monitored campus and a more powerfully-armed police force.

LSU'S OWN S.W.A.T TEAM

Along with increased car, motorcycle and bicycle patrols and plainclothes officers on foot, nine officers are training to take part in what the LSUPD is calling a "high-risk warrants team." Though they aren't calling it a S.W.A.T team, LSUPD officers readily admit the elite unit will serve a similar purpose.

Equipped with assault rifles, throat lights, helmets, bullet-proof vests and battering rams, the Warrant Team will be a rapidly deployable unit capable of responding to any incident of campus violence.

The team, which LSUPD expects to be deployable before the beginning of the fall semester, will serve a two-fold purpose — serving warrants to high risk suspects and responding to life-threatening situations on campus.

The process of serving a high-risk warrant could involve home surveillance of suspected criminals, detailed mapping of the house followed by a late-night battering ram and LSUPD infiltration, according to LSUPD Maj. Lawrence Rabalais.

LSUPD detective David Heroman said the unit could also be called out in case of a campus shooting comparable to the April 16, 2007 incident at Virginia Tech, which left 32 dead. He said Warrant Team officers would be trained to gear up and move out quickly and efficiently in case of emergency.

CIU FITS IN

As the University has become increasingly nervous about who is on campus and at what times, LSUPD has taken important steps to keep track of people on campus. In January 2008, LSUPD established the Crime Interdiction Unit, a team of five officers who patrol campus in plain clothes. With different shifts on a changing rotation, the CIU quickly became an established part of campus security.

"You may see officers in patrol cars, but at the same time we have plainclothes officers on the streets," Heroman said. "We're everywhere."

Rabalais said the primary purpose of the CIU is to identify suspicious people on campus, especially during the late-night hours. Officers with the CIU are suppose to take a pro-active stance on crime, stopping people where they don't belong and creating a database of campus visitors.

"The purpose of the CIU is to identify these suspicious persons, and in doing so, we made a lot of arrests," Rabalais said.

Since January, the CIU has made 216 arrests, two of which involved weapons and most of which were narcotic-related. By targeting high-crime areas of campus and making hundreds of stops, the unit has the added effect of deterrence.

"It's hard to measure the effectiveness of this unit, and it may never be known because of the deterrence factor," said LSUPD Capt. Russell Rogé.

Though Martin said he was nervous about turning the campus into a fortress, he said he understands the need for plainclothes officers.

"If we have to have some plainclothes officers, I'm going to trust our police force to do it right and to do it well," Martin said.

‘VANDAL SCREENS,' CAMERAS RECENTLY INSTALLED

The Department of Residential life, concerned with the threat of a second incident in the vicinity of the Edward Gay apartment complex, installed "vandal screens" on each apartment door. The screens, woven with cut-resistant metal fibers, were added to provide residents with at least some level of comfort following the murders, according to Clinton J. High, ResLife communication manager.

High said while the newer campus residential buildings, like Blake Hall, were also fitted with cut-proof screens, not all of the other buildings have been equipped with them.

The Edward Gay apartment complex was also fitted with a new gated fence and security cameras which are routed back to the Public Safety Building and LSUPD.

Security cameras were a continued investment for the University even before violence struck the campus. With more than 70 units spread across campus — and with more to follow — LSUPD detectives are more informed than ever.