A few days ago, I came back to my car where a parking citation from the City of Tuscaloosa was awaiting me. I was parked partially on a yellow curb on campus, so I deserved it I suppose.
I understand laws and why they are in place, and am not opposed to facing the consequences when I don’t. It’s only fair. But I could not help but think, “Is that really the worst crime that needed attention in Tuscaloosa at that moment?”
I appreciate police officers and all they do. The service that Tuscaloosa Police Department as well as UAPD provides us does not go unnoticed. But, my mind immediately jumped to all the times I have felt unsafe in Tuscaloosa. Why didn’t an officer materialize out of thin air then?
It’s strange how if a girl walks home by herself at night, a police officer is usually nowhere to be found. Or one may drive by, but not stop and offer her a ride. Maybe these are just my own experiences. Again, I am not implying that police officers don’t every help keep anyone safe –– they do that every day. However, I occasionally wonder why seemingly more minor issues (i.e. illegal parking) seem to get attention right away when some bigger safety issues don’t.
Some students I have spoken with have even received citations from the city of Tuscaloosa for trying to park outside their own homes when no other spots were available. I’m not sure what we are expected to do when there is no solution to that problem. Apparently, pay a parking ticket. With the university’s rapidly increasing enrollment and consequently larger amount of vehicles, this issue will only become more pronounced.
But, in all the email alerts from UAPD I have received over the years, there was never a police officer waiting outside someone’s home when they were robbed on their porch.
Maybe it’s the media to blame for shining the spotlight on negative situations and outcomes rather than positive ones, but I seldom come across stories that tell of a police officer driving up and saving someone from sexual assault. If things like that are happening and are not being covered, the media needs to do a better job of showing the police in a positive light.
As of now, I am only aware that less than ten minutes after I parked my car, a police officer was there with ticket in hand. That is quite a quick response.
I don’t usually see officers lurking in the parking lots I’m walking through at night, or apartment complexes. Why are the small issues that bring in revenue the ones that seem to be taken care of right away? It’s not that the small things don’t need attention, they do. But while sexual assault and other violent crimes are still happening in this town, those issues should take priority over smaller ones.
Anna Wood is a junior majoring in journalism. Her column runs biweekly.
