Standoff near campus brings local authorities

By Nathan Elg

Mirror Staff Writer
January 25, 2008

An increase in crime incidents around Augustana in the last month has Campus Safety carefully evaluating its budget proposal for the next fiscal year.

On Jan. 3, at 11:15 a.m., Sioux Falls Police officers responded to a report of a subject with a shotgun on 1904 S. Grange Ave., a few houses north of Tuve Hall.

A family member at the house told officers the 40-year-old subject threatened him with the shotgun and also indicated he may shoot himself, according to Sioux Falls Police spokesman Loren McManus. Officers on the scene were not able to talk with the subject inside the house.

At 1 p.m., a Sioux Falls SWAT unit was activated and set up on scene. Police cars blocked the 1900 block of Grange Ave. from traffic. At 1:48 p.m., the subject was apprehended without incident and charged with one count of domestic aggravated assault.

“We live in a community where crime does happen,” President Rob Oliver said. “And you only get that one chance to have a safe environment. Director of Campus Life Rick Tupper hopes his budget proposal for the next fiscal year meets that one chance.

The proposal will include an increased budget for additional Campus Safety officers to extend double shifts into the weekdays. Tupper said 70 percent of Campus Safety’s current budget pays the officers and plays the biggest priority when it comes to its budget proposal.

“The reality is that safety isn’t free,” Oliver said. “If there’s a need, we should add another shift.” The budget proposal will also include funding for the installation of emergency call boxes on campus like those found on the University of South Dakota campus. The emergency call boxes, often called “blue lights,” would have a phone and camera attached for quicker Campus Safety responses to emergency situations on campus.

Tupper said 12 blue lights would be ideal for Augustana but would take several years to completely fund. Campus Safety already has one blue light planned for installation near Tuve Hall this spring.

“These boxes are a good idea, but it’s unfortunate that we have to wait years for all of them to come,” senior sociology major Elise Trujillo said. “But I think the biggest disservice from Campus Safety right now is that students tend to think that our campus is immune to crime.”

Oliver said administrators are currently generating a text message emergency system allowing administrators to send a mass text message to the Augustana community if a crisis situation occurred on campus.