Mary Armour climbed up a black spiral staircase yesterday morning like she does every weekday.
At the top of the stairs is a carpeted square room where she sits from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. watching students getting in and out of their cars, looking for parking spaces and walk to and from classes. Her only companions - a walkie-talkie, binoculars and a personal logbook - sit in front of her.
Until last week there was no way for students to know when a guard, like Armour, was manning one of the towers and watching and providing security for students in the parking lots.
"Guard towers have become a liability," said Bruce Harber, director of Public Safety. "Once someone sees a tower, there's a presumption someone's always there."
In an effort to alleviate that presumption, Police Services have installed flags and lights on the guard towers to alert students when the guard towers are being manned. However, the additions have brought on some concern by students at The University of Memphis.
Harber said when the flags are up and there is a blue light shining from the guard towers students can be sure there is someone in the towers helping make the parking lot safer.
When there is no flag or the flag is lowered and the light is yellow, the guard towers are not being occupied, he said.
"Not only will the flags and lights let everyone know when the towers are staffed, but they will also serve to notify University police officers when the towers are not staffed," Harber said.
He said when the officers are aware the guard towers are empty, they know to keep a closer eye on the unsecured area.
Some students are worried the police aren't the only ones the lowered flags will alert.
Angela Gresham, a junior anthropology and English literature major, said she worries criminals will also be alerted that guard towers are vacant, making it easier for them to commit crimes.
Harber understands this concern among students, but said the benefits of the new additions are going to help in the security of the campus.
"Does it let some of the wrong people know? It may or may not," Harber said.
He said crimes, like burglary from cars, are usually crimes of opportunity and not planned. These kinds of crimes during times when there are no guards are coincidental.
He said the flags and lights are there for the students. His hope is that it will help relieve students' fears and act as a warning to them. Gresham said despite the chance the alerts might warn criminals, she thinks they are a good idea.
"It let's us know someone's there keeping an eye out, making it (the campus) secure," Gresham said.
Some students shared other fears and questions about the new system. James Fells, a chemistry graduate student, said he worries the guards may forget to lower the flags and turn out the lights.
He said it could be an easy thing to forget, like leaving the headlights of your car on. Despite these fears he also thinks the flags and lights are a good idea.
"You don't want your students to be scared to take classes," he said. His wife takes night classes and he said he worries about her, but thinks the new alert system will help relieve that stress.
His wife, Katishma Fells, shares the same worry as her husband.
"If they fail to take it down," she said, "you assume they're there." Armour, the guard who works in the south lot, said that won't happen, and she doesn't think it will be a problem.
"I turn off my lights every time," Armour said.
Harber said the flags won't have to come down and lights won't have to be turned to yellow too often anyway when there is traffic around the campus.
"Since we now staff the towers from 7 a.m. through midnight, there shouldn't be many people coming and going on lots when the towers aren't staffed," Harber said.
