SUPD working with BRPD to slow things down

An increased presence of Baton Rouge Police Department officers is making a lasting impression on Southern University students—an impression that BRPD has set up a speed trap across from the F.G. Clark Activity Center to purposely give out tickets to speeders.
However, SU Police Chief Michael Morris feels differently.
“The BRPD did not set up a speed trap on SU’s campus,” Morris said. “The Baton Rouge police that are on campus are traffic enforcement.”
BRPD officers are on campus because Southern is part of Baton Rouge city limits. If you are driving off campus on Harding Boulevard, everything on the right side of the dividing line in the street is part of city limits, he added.
“Southern is not an island,” said Morris, “We still have to follow the same rules and regulations as anyone else in Baton Rouge.”
SUPD is in a cooperative agreement with the BRPD, the East Baton Rouge Parrish Sherriff’s Office, the Department of Public Works, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, and the city government as a whole. There was an agreement to get more reinforcement from the BRPD to patrol Harding because of the excessive speeding that has been happening.
“If a student or a staff member got hurt because of someone speeding, Southern would most likely get in trouble because the speed limit was not enforced so this is why BRPD are here to help control that,” said Morris.
SUPD and the Highway Safety Commission are collaborating on DWI control because there have been people under the influence of alcohol and drugs driving on campus. Of course, driving while intoxicated is illegal and there has been much done to prevent this from happening on SU’s campus.
SUPD are also in charge of making sure other safety issues are being taken care of as well and not just the traffic problems. Reckless driving, fights and general situations that might put any student, faculty, or staff member in danger are some of the things SUPD manage to control.
The BRPD sometimes assists SUPD in major danger situations.
“I feel safer knowing that there are Baton Rouge police officers protecting our students,” said Keldric Nash, a junior computer science major from Alexandria.
Many students find that having extra police officers, whether they are from off-campus or on-campus, are helpful and necessary for the safety of SU’s students.
“I don’t care if the police are BRPD or SUPD, as long as I get help when I need police, I’m happy,” said Nash.
Some students do not agree with Nash.
Some feel that the extra traffic reinforcing by BRPD is not needed due to all of the tickets that have been given out. Morris has some advice for students that feel this way about the traffic Patrol.
“If you obey the speed limits set on campus you won’t have to worry about getting a speeding ticket, just don’t speed because if you do, you deserve to receive a ticket.”