FWIW–campus police departments are even more politically gelded than are small-town police departments when the local Mr. Big is committing felonies. They’re on the same bloody payroll as administrators, faculty, and staff. They ascribe a higher integrity to the earned doctorate, and will allow themselves to be used in intramural campus warfare. Ask an innocent junior prof or staffer who’s been tailed by a squad car because he P. O.-ed a dean or department head, who retaliates by manufacturing false allegations against him.
Even if they have the will, campus police departments are unlikely to have the experience to deal with felonies.
Mutual assured destruction. There are some hints of decision-making by mutual blackmail at a local university. Here’s a fictional example based on actual, reported incidents.
You see Administrator X bumming a coed typist who’s on work-study. You ought to go to Administrator X’s superior, or campus police, right? Your observation would be questioned, ditto your judgment and motive, you’d risk being known as a campus snitch, your career would be jeopardized, there’d be Clery Act reporting implications, the police chief may be a drinking bud of Administrator X. Why bother? Now you have a hold on Administrator X, and, if you play your cards well, you’ll get the extra budget money you’ve wanted.
What’s to keep you from squeezing Administrator X dry? Maybe you’re a temperate blackmailer, or, maybe, by that time Administrator X has discovered your scheme to collaborate with the provost in rigging promotions and tenure to reward your friends and punish your enemies in violation of university policy and faculty contract.
The point is that unreported criminal and civil misconduct can serve someone’s interest. Having the accusers, witnesses, victims, perpetrator(s), and law enforcement authorities all on the same campus payroll (often) makes for a clash between career interests and civic obligation to report a crime. Think about that the next time a campus scandal is revealed to have been a long-standing enterprise.
August 15th, 2012 at 4:13AM
FWIW–campus police departments are even more politically gelded than are small-town police departments when the local Mr. Big is committing felonies. They’re on the same bloody payroll as administrators, faculty, and staff. They ascribe a higher integrity to the earned doctorate, and will allow themselves to be used in intramural campus warfare. Ask an innocent junior prof or staffer who’s been tailed by a squad car because he P. O.-ed a dean or department head, who retaliates by manufacturing false allegations against him.
Even if they have the will, campus police departments are unlikely to have the experience to deal with felonies.
August 16th, 2012 at 7:07AM
Mutual assured destruction. There are some hints of decision-making by mutual blackmail at a local university. Here’s a fictional example based on actual, reported incidents.
You see Administrator X bumming a coed typist who’s on work-study. You ought to go to Administrator X’s superior, or campus police, right? Your observation would be questioned, ditto your judgment and motive, you’d risk being known as a campus snitch, your career would be jeopardized, there’d be Clery Act reporting implications, the police chief may be a drinking bud of Administrator X. Why bother? Now you have a hold on Administrator X, and, if you play your cards well, you’ll get the extra budget money you’ve wanted.
What’s to keep you from squeezing Administrator X dry? Maybe you’re a temperate blackmailer, or, maybe, by that time Administrator X has discovered your scheme to collaborate with the provost in rigging promotions and tenure to reward your friends and punish your enemies in violation of university policy and faculty contract.
The point is that unreported criminal and civil misconduct can serve someone’s interest. Having the accusers, witnesses, victims, perpetrator(s), and law enforcement authorities all on the same campus payroll (often) makes for a clash between career interests and civic obligation to report a crime. Think about that the next time a campus scandal is revealed to have been a long-standing enterprise.