The Department of Public Safety (DPS) works for lowa State, right ? Or are all the citizens of Ames being fooled? Rarely ever can anyone drive around Ames, avoiding ISU and not spot DPS officers driving around, or for that matter parked in their car. Aren’t the officers hired to patrol lowa State? lf that’s the case, what are they doing up by the mall, out east on Dayton, or down in Southdale? Are they forgetting that they’re employed bv Iowa State to protect the faculty, students, and property of the University and not the city of Ames. If they’re occupying themselves by arresting people on South Duff, who’s protecting the University?

Is the Board of Regents, which is responsible for the University aware of the fact that DPS officers appear to spend more time on city property than on University property? Are they aware that it’s nearly impossible to drive through the lowa State campus and spot a DPS officer, but yet they are frequently seen on city property?

Is the reason behind DPS striving for handguns to protect city property or University property? Why should the Board of Regents give them the right to carry guns when they don’t even patrol their own jurisdiction? Doesn’t patrolling the entire Ames area take away the point of the Ames Police Department?

Suppose something serious were to happen at the University. If Ames Police are occupied with a previous call and DPS is out in all parts of Ames, who is to be held responsible to respond? Imagine if a DPS officer were to pull someone over in east Ames who is carrying a knife or gun. Not only are they out of their jurisdiction, but they have put themselves in a risky situation. lf something were to go wrong, the only thing they’d have to protect them would be a radio and a flashlight. Could the city of Ames be held responsible if one of them was injured?

If they wanted to work in a larger area, maybe they should have applied for a job on the police force.

Danielle Spencer

Ames Resident