While the general consensus among students seems to be that University Police officers spend their weekend nights breaking up parties and responding to noise violations, they mostly just spend a lot of time driving around in circles.
UPD Special Police Officer Jonathan Crews spent a few hours Saturday night with The Hatchet, explaining that one of the focuses of his job is deterrence. By patrolling the campus and remaining visible to students, Crews said, he tries to stop incidents before they start.
"About 80 to 90 percent of the job is high visibility," he said. "That's what it's about."
Crews, a North Carolina native who has been with UPD for about a year and a half, started off the evening by checking out a blue light activation near City Hall. When he arrived he found it was a false alarm. Crews then parked his UPD car near the Foggy Bottom Metro station and started patrolling the area on foot.
"This area always has a lot of pedestrian traffic," he said. "So I like to make sure I walk through here."
After solving a debacle at the Metro and directing pedestrians where to go because a train was broken down, Crews got back in his car and headed toward UPD headquarters at the Woodhull House at 21st and G streets.
He had been called to transport a community host, a student who makes sure people sign in or swipe their GWorlds at residence halls, to the Hall on Virginia Avenue. Crews said the night was turning out to be a slow one.
"There's nothing on the radio tonight," he said. "You can hear it yourself."
Crews proceeded to slowly drive past an empty Kogan Plaza and Marvin Center, keeping a lookout for anything suspicious.
"It even looks like they're bored," he said, referring to an EMeRG volunteer sitting outside of the Marvin Center on her cell phone.
Crews said he never knows what to expect from the night shift, adding that the weekends are not always busier than weekdays.
"Every day is a different day," he said. "You get used to it."
UPD Special Police Officer Jonathan Crews spent a few hours Saturday night with The Hatchet, explaining that one of the focuses of his job is deterrence. By patrolling the campus and remaining visible to students, Crews said, he tries to stop incidents before they start.
"About 80 to 90 percent of the job is high visibility," he said. "That's what it's about."
Crews, a North Carolina native who has been with UPD for about a year and a half, started off the evening by checking out a blue light activation near City Hall. When he arrived he found it was a false alarm. Crews then parked his UPD car near the Foggy Bottom Metro station and started patrolling the area on foot.
"This area always has a lot of pedestrian traffic," he said. "So I like to make sure I walk through here."
After solving a debacle at the Metro and directing pedestrians where to go because a train was broken down, Crews got back in his car and headed toward UPD headquarters at the Woodhull House at 21st and G streets.
He had been called to transport a community host, a student who makes sure people sign in or swipe their GWorlds at residence halls, to the Hall on Virginia Avenue. Crews said the night was turning out to be a slow one.
"There's nothing on the radio tonight," he said. "You can hear it yourself."
Crews proceeded to slowly drive past an empty Kogan Plaza and Marvin Center, keeping a lookout for anything suspicious.
"It even looks like they're bored," he said, referring to an EMeRG volunteer sitting outside of the Marvin Center on her cell phone.
Crews said he never knows what to expect from the night shift, adding that the weekends are not always busier than weekdays.
"Every day is a different day," he said. "You get used to it."
