KSU Police Step Up Presence in Wake of Alleged Sexual Assaults

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Kennesaw State University students will see more police officers on campus when they return to class in the fall, a move designed to stop a rash of alleged sexual assaults which have been reported in recent months.

According to the KSU Sentinel, police are increasing their foot patrols in residential areas as well as maintaining the current 24/7 patrol routes on the rest of the campus. KSU Deputy Chief of Police Edward Stephens told the Sentinel that officers from units like Special Operations, Community Affairs, and the Criminal Investigations Unit may make more frequent appearances on campus to bolster the patrol unit’s presence.

The increase police presence comes as a response to an uptick in reported sexual assaults in the residential areas of the KSU campus.

On the night of April 30-May 1, a KSU student was driven back to the dorms at KSU Place following a party and allegedly sexually assaulted. Less than three weeks later, On May 19, a man allegedly attacked and sexually assaulted a woman in the parking lot of an on-campus residential building.

Weeks later, four KSU students allegedly sexually assaulted another student at a dorm; the four were identified and were said to be cooperating with the police investigation.

In the wake of the latest alleged assault, KSU President Dr. Daniel S. Papp said that the university is taking more steps to combat the rash of sexual assaults reported on campus; namely, involving the GBI in the investigation into the incidents, expanding the reach of 24/7 police patrols, and providing “training, education and preventative/awareness resources” to those on campus through the Women’s Resources Center, the Office of Victim Services, and the Citizens Police Academy.

“First and foremost, let me be clear: there is no place in our campus community for sexual assault or any type of sexual misconduct,” Papp said. “It simply will not be tolerated.”