STAFF EDITORIAL: CU: Post Crimes Online

This page has consistently called for transparency within the University"s bureaucratic process. Now, it seems Columbia may have been beaten to the punch by Harvard, whose campusT police recently began posting crime reports online, a move we applaud.

Columbia"s public safety department is, in many respects, excellent. Columbia has one of the safest urban campuses in the country, and crime rates here are far below those at Harvard. However, any steps to increase security on campus would always be useful and appreciated by both students and parents.

Currently, anyone who wishes to look at the University"s crime records must go to the main security desk in Low Library and pore over a log book. If Columbia were to institute an online crime log, parents in other states would be able to keep tabs on Morningside Heights, and students could instantly and conveniently access records.

Security is a central issue for students at Columbia. Many people, including upperclassmen, are unfamiliar with New York and don"t know what to expect in terms of crime. It can also seem that we are insulated from these types of incidents. Posting crime reports online would help alleviate both of these problems for students.

Greater knowledge of dangers in the neighborhood would contribute to a safer environment for students. CU Security currently records each crime that takes place, the date and time of the incident, and its status. This type of information could help students to better understand the neighborhood they live in and the dangers people should be watching out for.

Columbia"s director of public safety, Ken Finnegan, was quoted in Spectator as saying that he doubts introducing online crime reporting would have an impact on campus because few people ever ask to view the crime log book currently available in Low Library. Unfortunately, that is exactly the point. Most people probably don"t know that such a log book exists, or that Columbia is legally required to provide crime reports to the public (a law that it fulfills with the log book).

Maybe more people should take a trip to Low Library to look over the log book. The point is, many more would look at the records if the reports were available from their own bedrooms. Greater public access to important records such as crime on campus and in the neighborhood is always a good thing--Columbia really has nothing to lose by introducing this new feature.

Although we never like to follow in the footsteps of Harvard, we think that in this case it is necessary. Online crime reporting would be a straightforward measure that would add to the already relatively safe environment on campus.