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Towson University is disputing claims -- which have received considerable local media coverage -- by the White Student Union about plans for crime patrols on campus. The White Student Union is an unrecognized group, and the university is noting that one of its leaders who has been quoted isn't and never has been a Towson student. The group says that it is starting crime patrols on campus due to what it says is an increase in crime by black people against white people. The reports of the patrols have disturbed black leaders in the area.
On Wednesday, Towson released a statement from Deb Moriarty, vice president of student affairs, and Bernie Gerst, the chief of police, noting that crime rates are low on campus, and have been going down. Further, the statement said that statistics aren't tracked by race or gender but that there is "no evidence that people are victims of crime as a result of their race." As to the activities of the White Student Union, the statement said: "We will continue to work vigorously with students who feel threatened by the proposed activities of this group to ensure their safety and to help them find their voice to take back their power from those they feel are denigrating them. Immediate action will be taken in response to any reports of verified threats to the physical safety of individuals or groups within our community. In response to the establishment of the 'WSU crime patrols' at Towson University, we do not encourage the general public to take the law into their own hands, for both their personal safety and legal protection."
