Kyle Cave

Staff Writer

It’s rare for students to get to see ESU’s patrol schedule and what day-to-day operations are like. Fortunately, The Stroud Courier was granted access to do a ride-along with campus security to witness safety measures around the university

The ride-along was done with campus security officers Thomas Ferraro and Jazmine Wilcox. The Courier got a chance to learn extensive details about how tickets are given and the duties of security around campus. Stay tuned for tips on how to avoid tickets around campus!

Campus security doesn’t enforce parking meter violations. Officer Ferraro says that “the borough gives them” and it is completely out of their jurisdiction to hand tickets out for people parked at security meters.

If they do see a car parked at a meter Officer Ferraro says “we won’t bother it.” But he did acknowledge Stroud Regional can enforce a violation.

A ticket is issued is by a printer campus security on their belt. They scan the license plate and see on their phone if the car is registered. If it’s not, that’s when a ticket is given.

The Courier also learned about how security surveys lots and areas. Ferraro said that they can start anywhere. Officer Wilcox added that bigger parking lots get surveyed first, and the outer lots then get surveyed after.

Officer Ferraro said that after a while they get to know the vehicles they survey and will not check certain ones they are accustomed to seeing on campus.

The parking lot that students get the most tickets in in the “A-Lot” which is by the Starbucks and closest to The Stroud Hall.

The security also changes up their routes from time to time so that they don’t establish a route pattern in their surveying.

Officer Ferraro said that the day shift security’s purpose is mainly parking, and making sure things are in order. He also stated that the purpose is to keep a “police presence” for safety.

Ticketing is also enforced at certain times. The peak time that security issues tickets is from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. After 4:00 p.m. tickets aren’t enforced due to events and most students “being off campus” Officer Ferraro said.

Officer Wilcox also pointed out that a car can be violated multiple times even if a ticket slip is already on their vehicle. They typically try and avoid this situation, but it can happen if enforced.

At ESU’s campus, parking is sectioned off by faculty parking and student parking. If a student parks in a faculty spot, the professors have called security before and told them to issue the student a ticket.

There are even times where a professor knows a student they teach and will tell them to ticket them anyway if they’re parked in a faculty spot.

The officers typically don’t ticket right away. If a student is sitting in a car, they don’t ticket them, for example. Ferraro also said that if you must park illegally or in a spot you can’t “put your hazards on.”

If students see a handicapped painted symbol in a parking spot with no handicapped sign on a building, students who aren’t handicapped can park there. It’s only if there is a combination of a painted symbol and a sign on a building where only handicapped students can park.

In the two-hour ride along The Stroud Courier got to go on with Ferraro and Wilcox only four tickets were given. ESU security also says that they plan to go back to physical parking permits by next semester Fall of 2025. This date is not a definite, but physical parking passes plan to be reinstated sometime in the near future.