Off-campus crime is becoming a serious issue for Notre Dame; unfortunately, it's not an issue being addressed by the ND administration. Last week a student was sucker-punched by a townie and his friend was hit with a baseball bat. Every week students are assaulted just outside campus boundaries. Robbery is all too common off-campus; every week a few cars are broken into in the parking lot outside my bedroom window. South Bend is too small of a city to warrant the talent of a friendly neighborhood spider-dude, so the South Bend police are our only crime fighting option. Regrettably, it is a piss poor option.

I would not be so hard on our local police force if they actually tried to “protect and serve” the community. Instead of addressing the important issues of crime prevention and personal safety, the South Bend Police Department (SBPD) released a statement claiming to significantly crack down on off-campus parties in order to combat underage drinking. Every game weekend, Notre Dame Security, South Bend police, and Excise state police combine to swarm the campus in efforts to eliminate underage drinking and public intoxication. Every other day of the week, police officers are spread too thin on patrol to have any chance at preventing a crime. That isn’t a personal claim of mine either; ND’s student newspaper, The Observer, quoted this from a SBPD officer.

So why don’t the police departments coordinate a consolidated effort against crime instead of just drinking? Unfortunately, it’s because crime doesn’t pay. Police make a killing raking in the drinking related fines every week, but they make nothing by filing a break-in. The incentives for police are understandable, despite depressing. However, I still do not understand why Notre Dame continues to disregard off-campus crime as a non-issue. The least ND could do is work together with local authorities to fight crime as hard as they fight sub-par college drinking.

It’s the last call for all vigilante crime fighters. I’ll meet you at the Halloween aisle of Walgreen’s to purchase our superhero costumes.