Constant visibility needed for city safety
For the past few days, there has been a statewide crackdown on drunk drivers with DUI checkpoints. You would have to be blind to miss the lines of flashing police cars pulling over cars on Interstate 26 and Interstate 20. But this led me to wonder, “When was the last time I saw a police officer who wasn’t in his or her car?”
I couldn’t think of one at the time, and frankly, I still can’t. At first I thought maybe I wasn’t being very observant. Despite being on campus nearly all of the time, perhaps I’ve just conveniently missed seeing an officer. But when I asked my friends, they also couldn’t remember the last time they saw a police officer on campus that didn’t involve the officer sitting in or standing by one of their new Dodge Chargers.
Growing up in mostly suburban and rural areas, I often saw police officers. No matter where you went, you could easily spot an officer of the law. They were a part of the community, and it was nice knowing I could easily turn to a trusted authority figure.
You can’t take my anecdotal experiences and apply them to the more urbanized and sprawling nature of Columbia and USC. I understand it is more practical and perhaps economical for police officers to patrol the streets by driving around and ticketing those who endanger us while driving. But in light of numerous incidents close to home, wouldn’t it be better if some of that policing came from walking around and interacting with citizens on the street?