When a Department of Public Safety officer was knocked unconscious in a fight last September, Georgetown students were reminded that DPS does more than just check IDs in Lauinger and bust parties. Now that the University’s contract with DPS is being renegotiated, though, it seems like the administration takes DPS for granted.
“I get the feeling that they don’t think safety’s important,” said a DPS officer, who wished to remain anonymous because the negogiations are undergoing.
The contract expired in late January, according to Sarah Heydemann (COL `09), a Georgetown Solidarity Committee member who supports the DPS officers. DPS complains the University is deficient on a variety of issues.
For example, the University rescinded sick days for DPS officers nine years ago, and they have yet to be reinstated. Instead, DPS officers have to take sick days out of their allotted vacation time.
Salaries are a more serious obstacle in the negotiations. With a starting wage of $11.20 per hour, DPS officers are the lowest-paid campus police in Washington. A pay comparison produced by Georgetown and obtained by the Voice ranks DPS officer pay in the median of D.C. universities. The comparison is unfair because DPS officers have powers, like arrest, that make them more qualified, according to the officer.
The low wages are reducing DPS’s effectiveness, according to the DPS officer. Experienced officers will seek better-paying jobs.
“Georgetown is a stepping stone,” the DPS officer said.
DPS officers also want more bullet-proof vests and defensive weapons. The University only has twelve vests and wants officers to share. According to the officer, though, sharing a vest is like sharing an under-shirt. They also want batons and Mace. Comparable officers at the University of D.C., American, Howard, and George Washington all carry weapons, according to the DPS officer.
The officers’ complaints are serious, but unfortunately, the University refuses to respond publicly. Vice President of University Security Dave Morrell and Directory of Employee Services David Achenbach declined to comment.
University Spokesperson Julie Green Bataille wrote in an e-mail that negotiations “are ongoing and we expect to reach a successful conclusion as we have in the past once they are finished.”
As much as I hate to move into Solidarity’s Red Square wigwam, they’re right about the DPS contract. Funding is always a problem at Georgetown, and administrators have to perform constant budget triage.
But when you’re deciding between another expensive speech in Gaston and a secure campus, prioritizing doesn’t seem that difficult.
