It’s Friday or Saturday night, and Fairfield Students are pre-gaming before they follow the Pide Piper of Partying to the townhouse hotspot of the night. In their own way, Fairfield Security is pre-gaming, too.
To find the answer to why security seems to always be around when you’re trying to hide something in your backpack, I decided to take part in the Student Ride Along Program.
10:03 p.m.: I began my night as a security officer, as we, Officer Ritchie and I, cruised a regulatory 20 mph around campus. I spotted a few students braving the 20-degree weather, but (unfortunately) nothing about their behavior warranted security action. This is my second time in a police car. (Okay, here’s a fun fact. I was taken home by a NY State trooper for walking home from Jones Beach when I was a sophomore in high school. At least I wasn’t arrested.) I learned that there are 13 sets of keys to all the buildings on campus.
10:15 p.m.: We pulled into the Apartment Complex parking lot. There was a Volvo parked in the Fire Zone with hazards flashing. A ticket was issued and the student was called to prevent possible towing.
10:35 p.m.: We had some fun as the radar gun was broken out and we tracked the speeds on campus. It’s amazing how much slower people will go when they see a security car. However, don’t bother; security has seen you before you’ve seen them. No tickets were issued.
10:45 p.m.: Two male students were stopped after one had a suspicious looking bulge in his pants. No laughing please; it turned out to be an inebriated student who just put a silver cup down his pants. They were let off with a warning.
10:50 p.m.: Now, as it was cold outside on Nov. 23, there were relatively low amounts of campus activity. As a result, I was able to talk with security to try to find out why security takes certain actions.
Did you know that the townhouse and apartment residents are allowed to remain on-campus during the semester break?
Or that security will not automatically issue speeding tickets for going 2 mph over the campus imposed 20 mph speed limit?
And contrary to popular belief, all the confiscated alcohol is not used at the security Christmas party. The beer is sold to the Levee; so really, you are paying double for the beer that was already taken away from you.
11:00 p.m.: We locked the gate at the Barlow Road exit. Afterward, we responded to a call that there is an alarm going off in Xavier Hall; it proves to be an electrical malfunction as all the doors were previously locked.
11:05 p.m.: We drove two girls up to Dolan. However, even I knew that it was just a ploy to get a warm ride to the townhouses in the cold. They quickly switched course to the party scene.
11:15 p.m.: There was a call from Jogues because of a possible drug violation in progress. When we reached the floor, however, there was the smell of burned popcorn covering the unmistakable smell of weed. Security searched the room, but since no evidence was uncovered, the suspect was let off.
11:59 p.m.: My two-hour career as a Fairfield Security officer ended for the night.
Throughout this entire experience, I didn’t come to any profound realization about how wonderful security is, but I ended the night with a newfound respect for what they do each night to keep the campus safe. They have to issue tickets, and they have to confiscate alcohol. They’re not taking action to be the bad guys, but they are taking action to maintain order and keep the bad guys off campus.
And they do cut students a break occasionally. I notice the Volvo was still in the Fire Zone. And no, security never sent the tow truck as they had threatened.
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