After the recent shootings of six people in Mesa, Arizona State University Police Department officials at the Downtown Phoenix campus say keeping staff, students and locals safe is top priority.
ASU police Sgt. Daniel Macias said having police officers at every campus and keeping up with safety procedures is important for students’ safety.
“The mission is to keep students safe, and to make sure they’re here and able to attend classes and get their degree in a safe environment,” Macias said. “We have four campuses, and every one of them is patrolled by ASU police.”
On March 18, Ryan Giroux, an ex-convict, wounded five and killed one in a shooting spree in Mesa that started at a Tri-City Inn on Main Street and Alma School Road. The shooting spilled across the street to a restaurant on the East Valley Institute of Technology campus and two separate apartment complexes. Giroux was arrested at a nearby condominium.
Immediately after the shooting, residents were asked to stay inside. Schools, including a community college, were placed under lockdown.
Macias said it was important for students to know the different safety outlets ASU police offers, such as campus escort services and transportation to and from areas.
“You want to make sure that you’re not alone out there,” he said.
ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus is physically small compared to the school’s Tempe campus, but contains approximately 12,000 of the university’s 82,000 students. Macias said the size of each campus, and amount of students, plays a role in the level and versions of crime that take place.
The Downtown Phoenix campus had less crime-related incidents compared to the Tempe campus in 2013, according to a 2014 statistics report by ASU police. Tempe had 13 aggravated assault cases and five illegal weapon arrests, compared to zero for both on the Downtown campus.
Not only are officers patrolling the area at all times, but they are also implanted in the lobbies of all campus buildings.
As a protective measure, downtown’s only dormitory Taylor Place locks all doors, which can only be opened with a resident’s ASU identification card. This prevents unauthorized access to the building.
Macias said that is one way for a student to feel at ease, but there are other steps to remember.
“Don’t walk alone at night, don’t park yourself in a secluded area,” Macias said. “We have the safety escorts, we will walk with you or drive you if you are ever feeling uncomfortable. That just reinforces ‘safety in numbers’ that we always talk about.”
Macias said students should feel safe on campus, and if they don’t, contacting ASU police is easy, but taking the initiative to enhance their own knowledge is also important.
“Every year we have a crime prevention unit that will put on safety type classes,” Macias said. “Their mission is to teach you how to remain safe on campus.”
Gabby Spare, a downtown student, said she feels safe on campus, but it is important to be aware of the people around her.
“I feel safe at both Tempe and Downtown, but more safe at night on the Downtown campus,” Spare said. “It’s incredibly important to be aware of your surroundings.”
Another student at the campus, Charles Rahrig, said he wishes ASU had sent some sort of notice when the Mesa shooting happened.
Rahrig also said he worried about the open transportation still running during shootings like these.
“The light rail was still running and one of the stops was right next to where this happened,” he said. “He could’ve gotten on at any time. The school went on, business as usual and sent us to class. We should have been worried about our safety.”
Macias said he recommends students look at the ASU police website to see all that is offered and to know what their options are.
“With the school shootings that happen across the nation, that is obviously something we don’t want to have happen at ASU,” Macias said. “The biggest thing to know is that there are people and programs to help keep you safe.”
Contact the reporter at Hope.Flores@asu.edu.
