RUSA hosts RUPD Chief Kenneth Cop at town hall

On Thursday, the Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) held a public safety town hall with key speakers being the parents of a recently killed college student and the Chief of the Rutgers University Police Department (RUPD), Kenneth Cop.

Seymour Josephson, New Jerseyan and father of Samantha Josephson, opened the event by describing how his daughter died. He said she was kidnapped and murdered by someone posing as an Uber driver at the University of South Carolina.

He communicated to the attendees the importance of rideshare safety, highlighting the work he and his wife, Marci Josephson, have done to spread awareness about the issue. He also emphasized the measures one should take when ordering a car ride and shared statistics about the harm that has occurred while using a ride-hailing service.

He said that during a study, the two companies, Uber and Lyft, documented a combined 13,963 sexual assaults and 49 deaths between 2017 and 2020.

"These (numbers) are self-reported from Uber and Lyft. I can tell you right now, my daughter is not one of these numbers. She is not one of these statistics. Because it was an impersonator. Neither Uber or Lyft took any responsibility," Josephson said.

Josephson's parents have created the "#WHATSMYNAME" campaign, working with lawmakers, universities, event venues and transportation hubs to display signage with advice on how to use rideshare safely with the acronym "SAMI."

It stands for: "Stop and review safety features. Ask 'What's my name?' Match, license plate, display. Inform, share details."

Their organization has also created more than 10 public service announcement videos featuring celebrities and well-known figures, including Steve Pikiell, head coach of the Rutgers men's basketball team.

"The Samantha story really hit home with me as I have two young daughters at home. I really want to be a part of (the) "What's My Name" initiative," Pikiell said in the video. "Please do this (safety check) every time before getting into any car with anyone you don't know personally."

Following Josephson, Kenneth Cop, the chief of the RUPD, gave a short presentation analyzing crime statistics, department initiatives and safety goals for the rest of the year.

He began by mentioning recent events, including the killing of a Temple University police officer on February 18 while responding to a reported robbery.

Additionally, he said that the mass shooting at Michigan State University was an example of the impact of community reporting. Cop said police found the shooter several hours later due to a citizen spotting the individual walking through their neighborhood.

"What I want our theme to be today is that we all play a role in public safety," he said.

Cop then discussed community resources such as contacting law enforcement, the Rave Guardian app, the RUPD's online reporting system and the department's non-emergency phone number.

Afterward, he talked about campus safety initiatives, including a plan to replace emergency phones around the New Brunswick campus this summer and the installation of a new emergency locking mechanism for classroom doors.

Cop said that due to the number of classrooms and the labor required to install each lock, it would take a long time for the installation to be fully complete.

Additionally, he said that with many students living off campus this spring, the RUPD plans to step up patrols with the New Brunswick Police Department (NBPD) through those neighborhoods. He also said all officers wear body cameras when dealing with incidents and participate in de-escalation training and active shooter drills.

Cop took questions from attendees regarding road safety, community engagement, crime alerts, residence hall safety, response times and awareness of the RUPD resources.

In responding to a question about the RUPD and community involvement, he discussed a recent meet-and-greet event with the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services. The event was aimed at opening communication between the University's neurodivergent community and the RUPD and discussing how the latter can improve its training. Cop said that police must work with neurodivergent individuals to avoid interactions that could end poorly, like many have nationwide.

He then answered a question regarding safety at campus residence halls and said that a security guard would be present at the University Center at Easton Avenue Apartments and would be assigned a security guard at certain hours due to its location within the city.

On that topic, he said the community does not want a police presence within residence halls, and it is up to residents to report safety concerns and issues in and around their halls.

"Nobody knows the building better than the people who live inside," Cop said. "Do we want a police officer roaming all the dorms? Probably not. Right? We want an environment that's free and open and safe."