Prompted by an increase in crime on and around LSU’s campus, Louisiana lawmakers have created a crime prevention district comprising the school and surrounding neighborhoods.
The district, created by House Bill 565 by Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, will include several popular student housing areas, businesses north of campus and the Tigerland area, which has been a particular sore spot for the university. The district will have the ability to impose fees on property owners for security improvements.
“We need [Freiberg’s bill] because the money is gonna help us make campus safer,” LSU President William Tate says.
Safety at LSU has been scrutinized following the rape and death of LSU sophomore Madison Brooks in January. The 19-year-old was fatally struck by a car after being dropped off by three men, two of whom are accused of raping her, after they left Reggie’s bar in Tigerland. Police say Brooks’ blood alcohol level was too high for her to have consented to sex.
While Reggie’s has been shut down following the revocation of its alcohol license, Tate has called for bars in Tigerland to take responsibility for underage drinking.
Tigerland is a neighborhood on the south side of campus known for its affordable housing and thriving nightlife, which draws in students with cheap drinks and what campus officials have said are lax ID requirements.
Kimberly Lewis, LSU’s chief administrative officer, says creating the district is one step in getting the bars to take additional responsibility.
“You can talk about a problem but you have to work through solutions,” Lewis says. “I think they’re all willing to engage as one piece of this to make sure that everyone has the same access to the level of security that we’re talking about.”
Lewis says the board has several options for an increased security presence including partnering with local law enforcement or hiring private security. The board can also use the money for security infrastructure such as lighting and cameras, she says.
Lewis says the idea for a district has been in the works since before Brooks’ death. Property owners in Tigerland and other areas surrounding campus will be charged a parcel fee that will pay for an increased law enforcement presence and other safety improvements, and the district will be governed by a board of 11 commissioners. Read the full story from Louisiana Illuminator.
