COLUMBUS, Ohio – Following the attempted rape of a woman near the OSU campus, the university has announced a plan to beef up patrols by its own officers on campus and on nearby streets.
The Ohio State University Department of Public Safety announced a pilot safety program called Operation Safeguard, designed to curb crime near the High Street corridor, on Thursday.
The program will add patrols to the immediate off-campus student housing zone and High Street corridor through the end of 2014, according to public safety director Vernon Baisden, OSU Police Chief Paul Denton and other university officials.
“These additional resources, combined with the joint patrol and joint jurisdiction initiative by The Ohio State University Police Division and the Columbus Division of Police, will enhance safety efforts,” Baisden said.
The plan will use a combination of Student Safety Service and other security officers and calls for the hiring of additional part-time security personnel with the goal of increasing the number of uniformed officers on patrol in the immediate off-campus neighborhood by nearly one dozen.
“The university has a number of resources dedicated to the safety of our campus community. We want to share these resources so students know what is available and how we are working to prevent and deter crime on and off campus,” said Jay Kasey, president of university’s Office of Administration and Planning.
The enhanced patrols are scheduled seven days a week between 5:00 p.m. and midnight with extended late-night hours on Friday and Saturday during the autumn semester.
University police will also park a mobile substation in the High Street corridor each night, which will serve as it’s the department’s High Street headquarters during the pilot program.