Community leaders met Tuesday to provide perspective on Moscow’s security infrastructure and guidance on best practices.
Featuring leaders from the University of Idaho campus, the city government and local businesses, the security town hall sought to provide answers and advice for students and the wider community about the best ways to keep everyone safe. With the backdrop of the past fall’s tragedy fresh in the mind, the city has looked closer at how to go about improving safety and addressing relevant concerns.
“Unfortunately, when a tragedy happens there’s always a desire to find blame,” Northwest River Supplies CFO Tony Mangini said. “I hope it’s an opportunity to make change and make things better, and I hope we can start that process today.”
Some changes have already been implemented; UI’s Executive Director of the Department of Public Safety and Security Jake Nichols said that the university has been authorized to hire more security officers on campus and is moving towards securing permanent funding for the additional security.
“They’ve got over double the number of security officers, full-time security officers, and they’re hiring more part time (officers) and adding the (patrol) car,” Nichols said. “And we’re continuing to professionalize our security officers and giving them more training, tools and equipment.”
UI Associate Dean of Students Cari Fealy said that the university is working to expand its partnership with the city to better access what areas are more in need of lighting fixtures. While the campus already performs a “lighting audit” every October to assess what areas are in need of additional resources, Fealy said that current efforts are working to assist improvements on the edges of campus that extend into city jurisdiction in order to ensure commuting students have a similar level of safety and visibility.
In addition to lighting, one of the foremost concerns that students have had is whether they can install security cameras on the properties they are renting. Manager of Palouse Properties Dan Schoenberg emphasized that the answer depended on the policy agreement.
Schoenberg said that for Palouse Properties, a policy has been added within the last four months that allows residents to set up cameras so long as they receive permission.
“We give some instructions how to do that, so they don’t permanently harm or damage the building and then end up with a charge at the end of their lease,” Schoenberg said.
Additional considerations need to be given when there is a potential for neighbors to be affected. Schoenberg emphasized that an improperly placed camera can result in significant privacy violations for neighbors if their property is inadvertently being recorded. For Schoenberg, the best solution was communication.
“Go knock on your neighbors’ doors, say I’m thinking about putting up a camera, do you have any concerns about that,” Schoenberg said, adding that these simple interactions can not only allow one to get to know their neighbors but can help make future problems easier to solve as a rapport has been established.
Though these hardware changes can undoubtedly make one safer, they work best when each individual is adopting best practices to keep themselves safe.
“Being aware of not making those kinds of silly mistakes, making sure your doors are locked, making sure things are being done so that the level of safety is increased, it’s really important,” Associate Director of Housing Operations Julie Kerr said.
Beyond changes to security hardware, multiple members of the town hall emphasized that students advocating for themselves is among the best ways to alleviate any safety concerns before they become larger problems.
“This is the first time you’re probably entering into a lease or having that kind of relationship and it is very important for you to advocate for yourself,” Fealy said, adding that that this includes having conversations with roommates about living expectations in order to ensure that the living situation is one where everyone’s needs are respected.
Bex Riehm similarly forwarded the need for self-advocacy and noted that both property managers and students should work to foster positive relationships, so issues don’t go unaddressed.
“When I first moved here, the apartment that I moved into off-campus did not have a deadbolt and the first night I called the property managers and said I’m uncomfortable with this,” Riehm said. “They called up someone and the next day they installed it, and it didn’t cost me anything.”
For minimum security standards like a deadbolt lock, Riehm said that it wouldn’t make sense for students to need to front the costs. When it comes to optional security measures like cameras, however, Riehm said students should be more willing to cover the expenses.
Regardless of what security measures students feel are sufficient, Riehm emphasized that students should be in an environment where voicing their security concerns doesn’t come with fear of backlash.
“I think that students are more likely to come and advocate for themselves if they know that they’re not going to be met with (financial repercussions),” Riehm said, citing instances in which students would be uncomfortable with damaged living conditions and fearing that their rent was going to go up if they complained.
If discussion with a landlord is yielding progress, Moscow City Council Member Maureen Laflin said that the city’s resources can be used for building code issues.
“If you were renting off-campus and you think that there’s problems with your apartment and its code problems, you can call the city,” Laflin said. “There’s a whole unit there that will come and do an inspection and some of the follow-up for you.”
President of the Student Bar Association Katelyn De La Cruz remarked that the Moscow campus faculty and staff are also able to connect students facing residence-related problems with necessary resources.
“Any law student that’s having trouble with anything at all can come to me and I can advocate on their behalf,” De La Cruz said. “I can get them to the right resources.”
If nothing else, the security town hall, featuring members of the Moscow community from the private and public sector, imparted the message that ensuring the security of any one town requires a coming together.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity to change the mindsets and hopefully people can understand that we all play a part in safety,” Mangini said. “It’s not just any one person’s responsibility; it a collective effort.”
Royce McCandless can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter @roycem_news