Security service used more in light of armed robberies

After four highly publicized armed robberies struck Boston University’s campus over the last few weeks, more students are utilizing BU’s Escort Security Service, according to the student security escorts.

While the security service averaged one or two calls a night before the robberies, 12 students called to request a walker on Thursday, Oct. 11 — before two of the three alleged robbers were caught, said Sarah Wiegand, a security escort and Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences sophomore.

The security service provides two students to walk with students, faculty, staff and university guests from on campus locations.

Once the robberies started the demand for walkers increased, said College of Arts and Sciences senior Hai Hoang, a security escort.

“Yesterday [Oct. 11] there were 12 walks, and that’s more than we ever had, ever,” he said. “Usually, there’s one or two during the weekends and, maybe, occasionally one during the week.”

However, on Friday and Saturday, after the alleged robbers were caught, Hoang said the number of students requesting the escort security service reduced.

The wait for a walk is fewer than 15 minutes with security escorts usually arriving sooner, Wiegand said. However, she said, the wait was longer on the nights the escort security service received more calls.

“I’m sure when there are 12, some people had to wait longer, we normally have four people working and they go two at a time,” she said. “We’re not equipped to do large amounts of walk.”

The security service is not a replacement for the BU Police Department, Hoang said. Security escorts are not equipped to take on robbers or dangerous situations and do not carry weapons.

“The thing is that we’re there to prevent,” he said. “We prevent potential attacks. We would think walking in large groups would deter other people from trying to approach us like that. We’re not trained to deal with dangerous situations, though.”

Security service walkers can be requested from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day. Although they occasionally get a call from a male student, 99 percent of students who use the service are girls, Wiegand said.

CAS sophomore Caitlin Lyons called the security service for the first time Thursday because she said the robberies made her feel unsafe on campus.

“That’s actually why I called them,” Lyons said. “I had never thought about walking home by myself as being bad before since I’m so close to Mugar.”

Though the escort service provides a certain level of safety, some students said they wished BUPD were more involved in keeping students safe as they walk home at night.

“This [security service] is great but in times when there has been a lot of robberies it would be really good to have actual police officers,” said Michelle Ortega, a CAS junior.

Since BUPD does not offer an escort security service to students at night, Lyons said the student security service is a step in the right direction to make students feel safer.

Some students, however, said they have never called the security service, even when they feel unsafe walking home at night.

“It’s probably an underused service because I know a lot of people don’t take advantage of it,” said Betsi Graden, a School of Management senior.

Graden said she tries, when possible, not to go anywhere by herself at night.

“If I’m going to be going somewhere at night, if I’m going out I always make sure that I go with other people I know,” she said.

Graden said there are times where the security service may have been useful to her, but she chose not to use them because it was an inconvenience.

“There have probably been times where I’m coming back at night from work, and I should have used the escort service but didn’t because I just wanted to get where I was going and not have to call and wait,” she said.

To contact the Escort Security Service call (617)-353-4877 or visit www.bu.edu/escort/index.html.