The facts: Universities all over North Carolina have had lapses in campus security, in some cases jeopardizing students’ safety. Campus police deal with these types of incidents in the best way they can.

Our opinion: Students should be aware of the limitation of campus police and that they do their best to uphold campus safety.

Students from all over North Carolina have voiced their concerns about the various incidents occurring on their campuses. Many have said their campus police have failed in keeping them safe. However, the truth of the matter is that campus police are limited by their resources to respond in a certain way consistent to normal police responses.

Many campuses that experience safety incidents, including those of this month, are primarily public universities, which are usually open campuses. Many of the recent incidents have occurred in fairly large cities. The accessibility of these campuses to the general public creates opportunities for safety issues to occur.

While the luxury of an open campus is a way to spread the college atmosphere to the community, it comes at a risk of break-down in campus security. Because of this, universities–N.C . State especially–have a police unit designed to respond quickly to important issues. This includes the quick response to blue light activations in security, as well as the safety escort service.

Campus Police works hard and effectively in responding to any suspicious activity posing a safety issue; however, with a limited budget, certain calls must take priority. They are also limited by the technology available to them. For example, the Wolf Alert system is limited by certain individuals’ cell phone providers as to when they get the alert text.

Students should be aware of the limitations of Campus Police and understand they are not jeopardizing our safety. Don’t point fingers until you know all the facts.