Brown and White Vol. 127 no. 23

              The Brown and White
Vol. 127 No. 23
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
‘All the Lehigh News First’
Stuart Bedics, assistant chief of the Lehigh Police Department, sits in his office on a rainy day with his eyes turned toward the television screen. As he clicks a remote, the channels change between imag­es of cars driving along streets, people jogging along a path and empty corners in front of various buildings.
These images are captured by more than 50 security cameras scattered throughout Lehigh University and the surrounding area of Bethlehem. The city has about 75,000 residents, accord­ing to the United States Census of 2013, in addition to the 7,000 undergraduate and graduate stu­dents at Lehigh University.
According to Bedics, these cam­eras help him and the rest of the LUPD keep students who frequent the city safe.
“What’s nice about the cameras is that they work 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Bedics said. “They don’t take vacation, and they don’t call in sick.”
Some of these Lehigh students chose to reside off campus in Bethlehem homes and apartments rather than in on-campus dorms.
According to Residential Services records, of the 4,904 undergrad­uate students enrolled at Lehigh this semester, approximately 3,375 live on campus in dorms, while around 1,500 either live off campus or commute.
Students are allowed to move off-campus after they have com­pleted their sophomore year. Many take advantage of this due to cost concerns or to gain a sense of inde­pendence and freedom.
Bedics, who grew up in South Bethlehem, said students have a lot of fear of crime due to the urban environment.
Prior to joining the LUPD force a year and a half ago, Bedics was a member of the Bethlehem police force for 25 years, retiring as chief
By LAURA CASALE
Associate Lifestyle Editor
See SAFETY Page 3
LUPD: Campus safety is ‘partnership between us and students’
Photo by NY On Air/Courtesy of Lehigh University
SPECIAL #RIVALRY150 SECTION INSIDE PAGE 7: Stories feature freshmen football players recounting their first rivalry experience; a look into the history and traditions of the Marching 97 band; and a firsthand game account from Lehigh football senior and New York City native Alex Buford. Also included is a collection of photos from the 150th game, showcasing players, cheerleaders, band members and fans in NYC during the weekend leading up to the rivalry meeting and during the game at Yankee Stadium. Lehigh takes New York
of police.
“I’m very familiar with the neighborhood and working in the neighborhood,” Bedics said. “Fear of crime can sometimes be worse than actual crime itself.”
Arielle Willett, ’15, said she decided not to live off campus her senior year because her current roommate was very against it, due to safety concerns. Instead, they decided to live in Campus Square.
However, Willett said she has come to appreciate living on-cam­pus.
“Location-wise its not that much safer because it’s right next to Rivalry 150 state of mind