IU as a free crime area rather than a crime free area

[HobbyGuy]

I was at IUB from 87-90. Went to the range one night and shot some .22s. Sad it's all closed up.

 

[Indy317]

Don't know if this is still the case but at one time they had a rule that any officer who took their weapon out of its holster had to write a report. So for example if they were checking a building in response to an alarm and drew their weapon then they had to turn in a written report. This had a tendency to cause the campus guys to hesitate to draw their weapons.

They likely still do. The problem though is with the cops on the force. Those that do draw, and don't do the report, because they see it as dumb, could get in trouble for violating policy. Those that hesitate over paperwork will get themselves killed. Those who do the report are actually pretty smart. Hell, even if I was on a department that didn't require a report, I would definitely be doing some reports where it stated that I pulled my gun and it was never fired at a person.

The reason is because of what happened to the Ball State officer who shot the kid. At the civil trial, they tried to paint him as a guy who wanted to shoot someone. Thankfully there was documented proof from prior incidents where he had put people at gun point, and not a shot was fired. So of course his defense team said something like 'If he wanted to kill someone, if he is such a blood thirsty killer, why didn't he do this back on this date, and this date, and this date, etc.'

The downside to the report requirement, and all the other stuff univ. departments do that usually isn't found in say a city department, is that it paints the department as a nanny PD. Some officers will view the department admin as parents who see the officers as children and not adult capable of making grown up decisions. As such, good officers who want to leave do so, and officers who are smart but don't want to leave, will end up doing the minimum as to limit their exposure to possible "serious" (as viewed by univ. officials) situations.

 

[greyhound47]

Many years ago I used to counsel rape victims at Ball State. The VAST majority of them knew their attackers very well. Most were even dating them. None that I remember ever involved a weapon of any sort. Kind of tough to defend yourself post self-defense shooting if your attacker knew you, was known to be dating you, left no marks on you, and had no weapons. Mace, no problem but the situations I was familiar with would not be good ones to use lethal force.

 

[greyhound47]

One other thing, Bloomington is gun hating from what I have seen too. My father lives there and that is the only town I do not like to carry openly EVER because it is NOT comfortable.

 

[leftsock]

I've noticed a lot of newes coverage in the last couple of days regarding the increased number of rapes at IU. They are wringing their hands over what to do, offering self-defense courses and having the IU cops partner up with the Bloomington force. The one thing they don't seem to want to consider is allowing the carrying of firearms by the potential victims.

I was just thinking that some "rape-free zone" signs around campus ought to solve the problem.

 

[Leadeye]

Nothing is going to change at IU unless the leadership changes and they don't answer to anybody.

 

[theweakerbrother]

Mace, no problem but the situations I was familiar with would not be good ones to use lethal force.

I appreciate the counseling you did with victims of rape. That has to be a tough job. I'm confused (it's early) about your last statement. Rape prevention doesn't include lethal force? I'd have to disagree.

 

[greyhound47]

I appreciate the counseling you did with victims of rape. That has to be a tough job. I'm confused (it's early) about your last statement. Rape prevention doesn't include lethal force? I'd have to disagree.

Good eye. WHat I meant was that lethal force in the situation like I spelled out makes the victim look like a murderer. The dead guy has no weapon, knows the shooter, even shown to be friendly and possibly dating the shooter, the shooter has no wounds, etc. You and I know the victim is justified but to everyone after the shooting it doesn't look good for the shooter. This all goes out the window if there is a weapon, a history, wounds on the shooter, witnesses, etc.