A photo of what appears to be students climbing over a stopped train has caused controversy among students and administrators.
On Wednesday, U of M Chief of Police Bruce Harber emailed the photo to students and university employees.
The image, which he described as “concerning,†showed three people scaling a train that had stalled on the Southern Avenue tracks.
Harber wrote the three train hoppers appeared to be students. The train, which cuts through the middle of campus, often prevents students from getting to class on time or to their cars at the Southern parking lot.
Harber said what the train jumpers did was both dangerous and illegal.
However, the campus police took special precautions to not identify the criminals by censoring the images.
Harber was unavailable for comment, but Colonel Ray Craft from campus police said they are not going to pursue the train hoppers.
“The main thing is making sure we have the word out, “ Craft said. “We are not initiating a full-fledged investigation of people who climb the train. We are not out to get students in trouble.â€
This is not the first incident of students breaking the law on campus and not seeing legal consequences.
Earlier this semester, underage football players were caught with alcohol at the U of M’s newest dorm, Centennial Place, and other students were accused of smoking weed.
But in these cases, the accused were sent to the U of M’s Office of Student Conduct, and were not arrested or sent to Shelby County jail.
Craft said there is a line when it comes to being caught with alcohol on campus.
“If a student is caught drinking but is not intoxicated, we will refer them to Student Conduct,†Craft said. “If the student is publically intoxicated, then we make an arrest.â€
The punishment for railroad trespassing is a misdemeanor citation, which is an arrest without being transported downtown.
In Tennessee, the crime of trespassing on railroad property is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine, Harber wrote.
The solution to the train problem is leaving enough time in the mornings when coming to campus, Harber wrote.
“For your safety, NEVER climb on, over or through a stopped train,†Harber said in his email. “In addition to the life-threatening danger involved, it is also against the law.â€
Some students are not only frustrated with the train, but also the university’s efforts to restrict the ways of crossing the train tracks. Andy Ross, one U of M student responded to Harber’s email.
“I not only observed students, but what appeared to be faculty climbing over the train yesterday. The situation as a whole is a disaster waiting to happen,†Ross wrote. “How can the university expect students and faculty to simply wait to cross for time periods that extend half an hour?â€
In a recent email to university staff, students and faculty, Bruce Harber addressed the increase of train hopping. Censoring the students was an act of focusing on the issue at hand rather than punishing students said Harber. The University of Memphis has begun to build a fence bordering the tracks to prevent further train hopping. Construction for a pedestrian bridge is also in the
works, said to open in 2018.
Ross asks if there is a way to make sure trains do not stop for so long.
“The message in (the) email is unrealistic when trains are paused for so long and block such extended lengths of the track,†Ross wrote.
In a recent email to university staff, students and faculty, Bruce Harber addressed the increase of train hopping. Censoring the students was an act of focusing on the issue at hand rather than punishing students said Harber. The University of Memphis has begun to build a fence bordering the tracks to prevent further train hopping. Construction for a pedestrian bridge is also in the works, said to open in 2018.
The problem will be eliminated after the construction of the $18 million pedestrian bridge along with a $1 million railroad fence that will span from Patterson Hall to the end of the recreation center.
The bridge will allow students to cross the tracks while a train is passing. The fence will prevent students from crossing at non-designated walkways.
