Furloughs days given to TUPD

 The Fall 2009 furlough plan is now in effect and one of its provisions requires Towson University police officers to take furlough days at the same rate as any other University faculty and staff.

Unlike faculty and staff, campus police are at Towson for a different role than teaching – to handle legal disputes and help to protect the University on a daily basis. According to Towson University Police Department captain Joe Herring, furlough days for officers, which vary from one to 10 days based on salary of each employee, are scheduled “in the same manner as any other form of leave.”

“Requests are reviewed by the officer’s supervisor based upon meeting the operational needs of the department,” he said.

Herring said there is no reason for students to be concerned.

“The decision to include the police officers was discussed and reviewed with all concerned parties,” he said in an e-mail. “The furlough days are being taken by officers within scheduling parameters that ensure no reduction in the level of patrol and support staffing on campus.”

Baltimore County police, whose precinct is located on Susquehanna Avenue, currently do not have a furlough plan, nor do any county employees. Herring said that the presence of the county police did not have any bearing on the plan.Generally, students said they aren’t worried at the moment because the police department is still in existence like any other department receiving furlough days.

“As long as they all don’t just vanish from campus for 10 days, I don’t really see the problem with it,” Matt Digirolamo, a sophomore computer science major, said. “At the same time, it’s not like the campus is crime-infested. I don’t see how maybe one or two less officers is really going to affect the security of the campus.”

Matt Hawkins, a freshman psychology major, agreed and is not immediately concerned with this method of alleviating the budget cuts.

“I would say on the whole, I’m not directly concerned because I’ve never felt in danger for my body or any of my possessions here at Towson,” Hawkins said. “I’ve always felt relatively safe, but I could definitely see it being an issue for some people. If somebody wants to take advantage of the situation, I can definitely see it becoming an issue.”

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