Safety on campus continues to be troublesome.

On March 3, a student was reported victim to a sexual battery incident behind a dumpster on the west side of the Learning Resource Center, which occurred late in the evening. It’s brought up an important question about police presence at night.

Is campus police paying greater attention during peak hours and not surveying as much when campus traffic slows down?

After the reported sexual battery, the student walked to the school cafeteria. It’s worth noting that the campus police offices in the cafeteria, that previously served as a place to buy parking permits, has remained closed since the beginning of the semester. This move means shining a brighter light in the direction of the campus police offices at the much more distant corner V Building location.

The gap between City College attendees and patrolling has been an issue due to such reported incidences— mostly because the existence of lag time for certain situations that need instant attention.

To settle any confusion on to what to go in an emergency, let’s review your options.

When it comes to emergencies, staff, students and faculty should program displatch (619-388-6405) on your cellphone. It links directly if you need police assistance.

Safety call boxes are another option. They are scattered all over campus: with one on every elevator and on each level of the parking garage, the cafeteria, library and many more locations.

If you are among those who question campus safety show some interest in addressing these holes in communication. It is encouraged for everyone on campus to call dispatch if you have any suspicion or concern when in the moment, let campus police determine the validity of your emergency.

Campus police also offers rides to your car during night classes if anyone ever feels unsafe. Nights like the reported sexual battery can be avoided with knowing these options are available.

But sometimes that isn’t the case.

There are some students who aren’t aware of how to handle themselves in troubling situations and it begs a question: Is there room for improvement and how can there be consistent security around the clock?

Will we have to depend on surveillance cameras?

You see them in grocery stores, banks and liquor stores. This could assure a 24-hour presence and could work in prime spots of the campus. Using it affectively can identify and deter possible troublemakers and give a sense of protection.

What these cameras could also suggest is overbearing flaws in the current system for staff, students and faculty.

There are possible outcomes to this answer that sound beneficial: the cameras go up and it deters crime or everything stays the same. Soon you’ll have a solution to a problem that has spiraled, and greater dependency on campus police.

The idea to have more presence is clear, to which way we choose to go about doing it, is not.