ON-CAMPUS — Six years ago, a local high school district was
faced with a frightening dilemma: Should officials publicly announce that an
anonymous source had made threats to attack students at one of its schools, or
would the knowledge only incite a post-Columbine panic?
Ultimately,
District
caution, letting parents and students know key details about the threat and
allowing them to decide for themselves how to proceed. Some students came to school
that particular day; others chose not to, but everyone was informed of the
potential danger and free to weigh the pros and cons of sending their children
to campus. Thankfully, no incident took place — but when adeptly handled, a
situation that could have otherwise incited panic ended with no mass hysteria
and no casualties.
Officials at the UCSD Police Department found themselves in
a similar predicament on April 4, when the San Diego Sheriff’s Department
informed them that a man named Thai Thanh Dang had made threats against an
unspecified
campus. Even though he could not be certain that the threats were directed at
UCSD, Chief of Police Orville King decided it would be in students’ best
interests to keep watch for Dang, especially on a campus where it is often all
too easy to blend in with the crowd.
King’s admirable decision, which reflected a surprising
trust in the maturity and alertness of UCSD students, pursued an
often-underutilized resource when it comes to police work: the public. Instead
of believing that knowledge of the threats would cause uproar within the campus
community, King realized that 20,000-plus pairs of eyes have the potential to
do more than merely stare at their reflections in the Geisel Library mirrors.
By opting to treat students as adults capable of assisting the officers charged
with monitoring their safety, the department made the odds of Dang’s eventual
apprehension much more likely.
SDPD Lt. Sylvester
told the Guardian that information about Dang’s threats was not meant to be
released to the public because the vague nature of the statements could have
caused widespread anxiety. While
concerns certainly have merit, it is important to recall that members of the
public share the police’s investment in keeping their communities safe, and
often provide crucial information to assist law enforcement in apprehending
suspects.
Just last week, police in
who had escaped from a
prison in November 2007. Despite a nationwide search for the fugitive that
included FBI agents, the man was not discovered until a passerby overheard him
bragging about being featured on the television show “
Most Wanted.”
Even AMW, despite suffering from the unfortunate
reality-show stigma, has led to the capture of 997 fugitives since it premiered
in 1988. While that figure may not seem astonishing over a 20-year period, that
is still almost 1,000 murderers, robbers and rapists no longer on the streets —
certainly a more palatable statistic than it would have been prior to the
public’s involvement. And true, seeing the low-budget re-enactments of grisly
crimes may inspire anxiety and fear in some viewers, but it also promotes
crucial vigilance at times when the police can’t be everywhere.
Fortunately, neither campus threat scenario panned out, as
Dang was arrested in his home city of
a few days later for an alleged probation violation. However, the situation has
taught UCSD a valuable lesson: All of its members, not just the police
department, are vital parts of keeping the community safe. The more people who
take part in this enterprise, the better.
