Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Embedded In SDSU, U.S.A.

It’s early Friday, just past sunrise and SDSU is mostly deserted. It’s considered a slow day for classes, but there can be as many as 50,000 students, employees, faculty and visitors here on typical class days. Jaywalking isn’t tolerated. Sergeant Ron is a give respect, get respect back person. “We mostly protect those who don’t know they need the help”, describing the mission of the SDSU Police. He is a lifelong learner and teacher with the right experience to lead a squad of university police officers. Ron came on via the SDPD before a lot of the current technology was around. He can operate either way. He says the new hires are bright and they function well using the new equipment. He doesn’t mind being called a cop, but likes “the Man” better. I forgot about one from the 70’s - the “Fuzz”. There are almost three dozen officers, investigators, a K9 and dispatch staff. I get to see their detention cells and DUI test equipment. Ron tells me they handle all the crimes that occur elsewhere, plus traffic assists and medical emergencies. The campus is maze of properties. A 1-mile radius surrounding the campus defines their patrol jurisdiction. Ron says SDSU would be bigger except the area is already saturated with buildings and parking lots; a lot of it is vertical or going vertical. Many of the buildings are residential for young adults gaining independence and life experience. Fun. The patrol cars use dash cameras. With all the up and down curves, the ride almost feels like a Gran Prix road course. I didn’t know there were that many hills and blind corners on the campus. The cars can fit anywhere and they’re driven everywhere on the campus. Parking structures are capable of storing the 30,000 cars that lay assault on SDSU most days. A full-time parking staff works the place. Everyone pays for parking or pays the fines, fees and towing. Few violators leave satisfied and police are regularly called to settle differences. The parking areas give officers more places to patrol and discover vehicle break-ins, thefts, campers, lovers and drinkers. No modern hobo types were seen this morning, but the transit system delivers panhandlers directly to the center of campus, where they can take advantage of kind, naive students. Public transit buses and trolleys provide alternate commuting choices, but campus area traffic is still monumental. The Sarge had other tasks to attend to so, I was passed on to Officer Judy, who works well through the generation disconnect with 20-somethings. Judy seems to enjoy the work she came to law enforcement as a second career. Wearing a badge for five years now she says “cop” is an acceptable personal reference. Told me most of the new police hires are degreed. Employees receive class units as a benefit. I watched her work a few contacts with superwoman ease. First, a car stop for questionable registration. Next, she met with two young men in a fender bender. Judy proceeded to set them straight on what to do now and to avoid trouble, what to do next time. Then, she got a follow-up call came from a young student asking for more of Judy’s help with getting a boy to leave her alone. After asking him once, he came back with a book of poems and flowers. Judy thinks it’s a crush; the girl thinks it’s creepy. Judy will contact Romeo to discuss his unwanted intentions. Next, arrangements were made to serve an area resident with an eviction notice. Concern is raised when it’s reported the resident was hostile on previous police contact. It would be a good time for me to take off. Before leaving the station, I pick up self-help literature from the police station lobby. Titles include: Lock Your Bike, Get Along with Your Neighbors and DUI Blues. Their focus was on taking responsibility and staying alert to avoid becoming a crime victim, like Ron said earlier. It’s easy to see the need for an effective police force at SDSU.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights

It’s early Friday, just past sunrise and SDSU is mostly deserted. It’s considered a slow day for classes, but there can be as many as 50,000 students, employees, faculty and visitors here on typical class days. Jaywalking isn’t tolerated. Sergeant Ron is a give respect, get respect back person. “We mostly protect those who don’t know they need the help”, describing the mission of the SDSU Police. He is a lifelong learner and teacher with the right experience to lead a squad of university police officers. Ron came on via the SDPD before a lot of the current technology was around. He can operate either way. He says the new hires are bright and they function well using the new equipment. He doesn’t mind being called a cop, but likes “the Man” better. I forgot about one from the 70’s - the “Fuzz”. There are almost three dozen officers, investigators, a K9 and dispatch staff. I get to see their detention cells and DUI test equipment. Ron tells me they handle all the crimes that occur elsewhere, plus traffic assists and medical emergencies. The campus is maze of properties. A 1-mile radius surrounding the campus defines their patrol jurisdiction. Ron says SDSU would be bigger except the area is already saturated with buildings and parking lots; a lot of it is vertical or going vertical. Many of the buildings are residential for young adults gaining independence and life experience. Fun. The patrol cars use dash cameras. With all the up and down curves, the ride almost feels like a Gran Prix road course. I didn’t know there were that many hills and blind corners on the campus. The cars can fit anywhere and they’re driven everywhere on the campus. Parking structures are capable of storing the 30,000 cars that lay assault on SDSU most days. A full-time parking staff works the place. Everyone pays for parking or pays the fines, fees and towing. Few violators leave satisfied and police are regularly called to settle differences. The parking areas give officers more places to patrol and discover vehicle break-ins, thefts, campers, lovers and drinkers. No modern hobo types were seen this morning, but the transit system delivers panhandlers directly to the center of campus, where they can take advantage of kind, naive students. Public transit buses and trolleys provide alternate commuting choices, but campus area traffic is still monumental. The Sarge had other tasks to attend to so, I was passed on to Officer Judy, who works well through the generation disconnect with 20-somethings. Judy seems to enjoy the work she came to law enforcement as a second career. Wearing a badge for five years now she says “cop” is an acceptable personal reference. Told me most of the new police hires are degreed. Employees receive class units as a benefit. I watched her work a few contacts with superwoman ease. First, a car stop for questionable registration. Next, she met with two young men in a fender bender. Judy proceeded to set them straight on what to do now and to avoid trouble, what to do next time. Then, she got a follow-up call came from a young student asking for more of Judy’s help with getting a boy to leave her alone. After asking him once, he came back with a book of poems and flowers. Judy thinks it’s a crush; the girl thinks it’s creepy. Judy will contact Romeo to discuss his unwanted intentions. Next, arrangements were made to serve an area resident with an eviction notice. Concern is raised when it’s reported the resident was hostile on previous police contact. It would be a good time for me to take off. Before leaving the station, I pick up self-help literature from the police station lobby. Titles include: Lock Your Bike, Get Along with Your Neighbors and DUI Blues. Their focus was on taking responsibility and staying alert to avoid becoming a crime victim, like Ron said earlier. It’s easy to see the need for an effective police force at SDSU.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.