Police found no evidence of a rape near the East Quadrangle in February. Consequently, the case was closed after the victim failed a polygraph test and provided inconsistent details regarding her alleged rape, and police leads led to dead ends.
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The case was officially closed in August, and shortly after its closing, an online alert of the case’s status was deleted from the USC police website. No further update had been provided to the students from the police, and it wasn’t until a report of the investigation was released last week after a long delay that the information regarding the case’s closure has come to light.
When Carolina Alert sent a text message about the incident back in February, many of us were scared. We were upset that USC took hours to let us know about what was going on.
Their reasoning in waiting to text us? As they repeat every time students want information faster, police wanted to make sure they had their facts straight before putting us on edge unnecessarily.
So why are we just now finding out that the allegations were unfounded?
Scott Prill, associate director of the Division of Law Enforcement and Safety, essentially said that police don’t usually release updates on cases that have been open for so long. We think that policy is misguided.
Knowing what is happening, or has happened, on campus helps us make better decisions, and it helps us stay safe during our time here. Whether it’s a robbery, a rape or even a feigned kidnapping, students need to know everything the police can tell us so that we can act accordingly.
Put simply, transparency — at least as best as the police can provide — is key.
We understand that the police may not release every single detail to prevent undue panic, but we should be able to trust them to give us about essential information. Closing February’s investigation is a prime example.
Lately, USC has taken steps to make campus safer. It’s adding police officers, lighting and surveillance cameras. And for their part, city cops are improving their relationship with students with a commitment to curb violent crime instead of underage drinking.
We know both want to keep us safe, and we appreciate it, but don’t only need to know about what’s happening now or about what police will be doing in the future. We also need to know about how past incidents are being resolved.
Informed students may well be the police’s best allies in combating crime on campus, and that’s a cooperation that can’t be achieved unless communication between students and the police is improved.