Comments on: Life in LXR after the crimes http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/ The Georgetown Voice Blog Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:33:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Sara Carothers http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-81943 Sara Carothers Sat, 03 May 2008 02:26:09 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-81943 I just ran into a DPS officer for the 3rd or 4th time today on my floor (the third) of LXR, and while it's kind of annoying, I still think it's worth it to make sure all the doors are locked at least for the last few weeks of the year. Even if your laptop was stolen because your door was unlocked and you immediately took the blame for it, that's still another public safety email, another theft on Georgetown's record, and more press about how LXR has horrible security. Not that I really think that thieves/sexual assaulters are trolling campus websites to see where the weakest place they can strike at is, but it just can't be good if word keeps getting out about how easy it is to get in here and steal stuff. Of course there should be better security to stop intruders from getting in in the first place, but it doesn't just affect one person when there's a crime. I just ran into a DPS officer for the 3rd or 4th time today on my floor (the third) of LXR, and while it’s kind of annoying, I still think it’s worth it to make sure all the doors are locked at least for the last few weeks of the year. Even if your laptop was stolen because your door was unlocked and you immediately took the blame for it, that’s still another public safety email, another theft on Georgetown’s record, and more press about how LXR has horrible security. Not that I really think that thieves/sexual assaulters are trolling campus websites to see where the weakest place they can strike at is, but it just can’t be good if word keeps getting out about how easy it is to get in here and steal stuff. Of course there should be better security to stop intruders from getting in in the first place, but it doesn’t just affect one person when there’s a crime.

]]> By: Will Sommer http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-81812 Will Sommer Fri, 02 May 2008 21:46:37 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-81812 I would just like to say Lynn's idea that not locking your room door (but locking your apartment door) in a Lisner apartment is equivalent to not locking a door in LXR is pretty silly. I would just like to say Lynn’s idea that not locking your room door (but locking your apartment door) in a Lisner apartment is equivalent to not locking a door in LXR is pretty silly.

]]> By: Sam Sweeney http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-81713 Sam Sweeney Fri, 02 May 2008 19:46:26 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-81713 LXR is not an apartment building, real or otherwise, and having a safe hallway doesn't qualify as being babied. LXR is not an apartment building, real or otherwise, and having a safe hallway doesn’t qualify as being babied.

]]> By: Anna Bank http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-81526 Anna Bank Fri, 02 May 2008 17:08:43 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-81526 That's a reasonable expectation, but it runs counter to your other argument about not being babied. Would you expect to be able to live in a real apartment building in D.C. or any other major city and not lock your door? If you want to be treated like an adult, you have to act like one. That’s a reasonable expectation, but it runs counter to your other argument about not being babied. Would you expect to be able to live in a real apartment building in D.C. or any other major city and not lock your door? If you want to be treated like an adult, you have to act like one.

]]> By: Sam Sweeney http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80984 Sam Sweeney Fri, 02 May 2008 04:14:04 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80984 I guess my oppostion to this policy is also born out of the belief that our hallways should be considered safe, or at least safe enough so that the risk of being robbed or assaulted is so small that it's reasonable to leave your door unlocked. If DPS concentrated on guarding our entrances instead of patrolling the hallways, whether or not our doors are locked probably wouldn't be an issue. I guess my oppostion to this policy is also born out of the belief that our hallways should be considered safe, or at least safe enough so that the risk of being robbed or assaulted is so small that it’s reasonable to leave your door unlocked. If DPS concentrated on guarding our entrances instead of patrolling the hallways, whether or not our doors are locked probably wouldn’t be an issue.

]]> By: Anna Bank http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80949 Anna Bank Fri, 02 May 2008 02:28:05 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80949 (Despite what Sam says.) (Despite what Sam says.)

]]> By: Anna Bank http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80942 Anna Bank Fri, 02 May 2008 02:25:50 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80942 I'm with Will and Jeff on this one. Sure, it's mildly irritating when a DPS officer knocks on my unlocked door when I just stopped by my apartment for a second to change my shoes, but having my laptop stolen or, god forbid, getting sexually assaulted would go beyond a minor annoyance. We have a right to privacy, but we don't have a right to act like spoiled, entitled kids who don't want to take any responsibility for our own safety. I'm sure if anyone who leaves their door open actually did become the target of a crime, the first words out of their mouths wouldn't be, "hey, it's my own fault for not locking the door." I’m with Will and Jeff on this one. Sure, it’s mildly irritating when a DPS officer knocks on my unlocked door when I just stopped by my apartment for a second to change my shoes, but having my laptop stolen or, god forbid, getting sexually assaulted would go beyond a minor annoyance. We have a right to privacy, but we don’t have a right to act like spoiled, entitled kids who don’t want to take any responsibility for our own safety. I’m sure if anyone who leaves their door open actually did become the target of a crime, the first words out of their mouths wouldn’t be, “hey, it’s my own fault for not locking the door.”

]]> By: juliana brint http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80931 juliana brint Fri, 02 May 2008 02:09:04 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80931 i'd have to agree with lynn on this one, this sounds creepy and unnecessary. i'd question whether this is really the best use of DPS' resources. in the meeting tuesday evening rocco said he has canceled officers' days off and he's having them work overtime - in order to give them time to micromanage students' door-locking habits? seems a little wasteful. it was kind of funny, in the meeting they talked about the new door-checking policy in the context of greater DPS and administrative presence in general, leading some guy to worry there would be non-uniformed officers and administrators wandering the halls. rocco clarified it would just be uniformed officers, but todd olson's reply was pretty awesome: "when i go around at night i don't check doors because i could be misunderstood as a creepy guy." say what you will about dr. olson, at least he's self-aware... anyway, does anyone know if there repercussions for getting a safety violation notice or having your door unlocked? or is it just a stern talking to? and will: i can't really remember an incident in which a robber committed additional crimes beyond just burglary - can you? with the sexual assault incident, it's kind of unclear why that guy had a gun in the first place but, as i understand it, he didn't rob anyone while he was there. i'm not convinced that the kind of spill-over effect you're implying actually exists. i think we can all agree that locking your door is generally a good idea, but i don't think you need DPS harassing you to do so. i’d have to agree with lynn on this one, this sounds creepy and unnecessary. i’d question whether this is really the best use of DPS’ resources. in the meeting tuesday evening rocco said he has canceled officers’ days off and he’s having them work overtime - in order to give them time to micromanage students’ door-locking habits? seems a little wasteful.

it was kind of funny, in the meeting they talked about the new door-checking policy in the context of greater DPS and administrative presence in general, leading some guy to worry there would be non-uniformed officers and administrators wandering the halls. rocco clarified it would just be uniformed officers, but todd olson’s reply was pretty awesome: “when i go around at night i don’t check doors because i could be misunderstood as a creepy guy.” say what you will about dr. olson, at least he’s self-aware…

anyway, does anyone know if there repercussions for getting a safety violation notice or having your door unlocked? or is it just a stern talking to?

and will: i can’t really remember an incident in which a robber committed additional crimes beyond just burglary - can you? with the sexual assault incident, it’s kind of unclear why that guy had a gun in the first place but, as i understand it, he didn’t rob anyone while he was there. i’m not convinced that the kind of spill-over effect you’re implying actually exists. i think we can all agree that locking your door is generally a good idea, but i don’t think you need DPS harassing you to do so.

]]> By: Will Sommer http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80905 Will Sommer Fri, 02 May 2008 01:33:12 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80905 Sure, Sam, but you will take responsibility for whatever other crimes might be committed by people who come to rob you? Personally, I think DPS/Securitas is more to blame in this round of crimes than students are, but why not just lock your doors? Sure, Sam, but you will take responsibility for whatever other crimes might be committed by people who come to rob you? Personally, I think DPS/Securitas is more to blame in this round of crimes than students are, but why not just lock your doors?

]]> By: Sam Sweeney http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80782 Sam Sweeney Thu, 01 May 2008 22:22:36 +0000 http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2008/05/01/life-in-lxr/#comment-80782 I'm with Lynn here. Security should include students taking responsibility for themselves, but that doesn't need we have to be babied. I want to have my door unlocked at certain times of the day and shouldn't have DPS coming around telling me that I need to lock it. If, as a result, something ends up being stolen from my room, I'm perfectly willing to take responsibility for that. I’m with Lynn here. Security should include students taking responsibility for themselves, but that doesn’t need we have to be babied. I want to have my door unlocked at certain times of the day and shouldn’t have DPS coming around telling me that I need to lock it. If, as a result, something ends up being stolen from my room, I’m perfectly willing to take responsibility for that.

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