Since the COVID pandemic, there has been an increased emptiness on Calhoun’s campuses. One may worry about a rise in criminal activities with fewer people walking around to observe them.
The campus police have considered that possibility, and thanks to their efforts, there has been no reports of increased crime activity due to effects of COVID. Don Swain, the Huntsville Site Police Supervisor, said there is “nothing that’s threatening the campus or the stakeholders here that is to be worried about.”
Some students have noticed a change in police presence. “When I entered the building pre-covid, the police presence was heavier, and they were spread out in the building,” Lecey Murphy, a student at the Decatur campus, said. “Visiting now, I see a police car and maybe one or two inside the entrance of the school.”
Seeing fewer police officers doesn’t mean students should feel unsafe on campus. Swain understands what can happen with emptier environments: “When you have less people here, the mouse wants to come out and play, so to speak.” There have been more patrols since the campuses were closed, including monitoring situations such as people getting into their cars at night.
Along with more patrolling, having fewer large groups of people aids in observing criminal activity. “I do think the lack of traffic inside and outside of the building, and the check-ins help prevent any criminal activity as things are being monitored closely,” Murphy said. Calhoun’s practice of giving visitors health checks has provided a regular way to see who is on campus.
The police officers are making sure to protect people from COVID as well as crime. Swain said, “The police definitely wear the masks – we’ve got to lead by example.” They are engaging in social distancing and frequent handwashing themselves along with everyone else. “We make sure to enforce that, because that’s part of Calhoun policy now,” Swain said.