Jump-starts for Students?

“Don’t mind us…” By: Micah Drushal

If in need of a car battery jumpstart, University of the Incarnate Word students should not expect one from campus police.

UIW Police Chief Jacob Colunga, who became chief in March 2010, said, “We used to provide this assistance years ago. As cars became more modernized, with their different rules from different manufacturers on how to jump-start a car, it was a lot easier for the university to say we’re going to outsource that to a professional.”

Now campus police get less than four calls a month asking for vehicle assistance.

Trinity University, St. Mary’s University, the University of Texas at San Antonio and all surrounding Alamo Colleges feel differently — each provide jump-start vehicle assistance on campus property for those in need.

Pete Perez Jr., Trinity University’s assistant chief of police, said, “We’re not just here to give tickets.”

Perez, who has worked for Trinity for roughly nine years, said, two years ago the university started providing jump-start services again. To ensure that Trinity is not liable, it now has a department approved liability-release card people must sign before service is granted.

On average, students, faculty and staff sporadically call 10 to 12 times per semester needing vehicle assistance — i.e., dead batteries, flat tires, out of gas or keys-locked-in-their-vehicle.

UIW’s Police Department found that providing jump-start services was not effective because of the amount of trouble that came with it, like police training and liability issues. Colunga said,  “Out of all the years that we’ve started this, which was about three years ago, roughly from 2009 to 2010, we phased them [vehicle assistance] out.

“We’ve only had one complaint out of all of them who are upset that we didn’t do that service.”

He said, “Because we’re [the UIW Police Department] a professional agency, even though we’re not professionals at automotive, that’s how the insurance was looking at it. The university, itself, to avoid any liability, and also to make sure that the students were satisfied, pushed it out to the professionals.”

St. Mary’s Police Chief David Ott said that its police department provides vehicle jump-starts to faculty, staff and students.

Ott said, “It is a good service, keeping in mind the issues that can occur.

“There are pros and cons. The University has to buy the jump-start pack every two years because they do not last. If the jump-start goes as it should everything is fine.”

“Recharging car battery” By: Derrick Coetzee

However, a car battery jump-start can become problematic. Ott said, “It is possible when doing a jump-start to fry the computer system in the car. Who pays for this? Even though we [St. Mary’s Police Department] do have them [the afflicted] sign a waiver in case this happens, now we are the bad guys for trying to help.”

UIW stopped jump-starting vehicles to minimize the loss in the long run. Colunga said, “Nowadays all cars have computers on them, if you hook them up wrong one of them is going to die. Either the student’s car is going to get fried or our car is going to get fried, so it’s a loss on both sides.”

The UIW Police Department will not jump-start any vehicle on campus, no matter who asks — not even other police vehicles.

Trinity University’s Police Department does not open locks. “Our police officers are not trained for that. They aren’t locksmiths,” Perez said. “That would be a case of ‘more harm then good,’ instead we call a locksmith, local automotive establishment for assistance.”

Colunga encourages students to have roadside assistance on their auto insurance. “From the jump-start of the car, to helping with the tires, to unlocking the car, all that is on your roadside assistance on your auto insurance,” Colunga said. “We encourage that because those people [profession technicians] have been trained.”

When someone calls for assistance, Colunga said that the police department first asks if they have called their insurance company to see if they have roadside assistance. If they don’t, the UIW Police Department provides callers with a phone number to a professional service that can help, such as Pop-A-Lock or Creswell’s Wreaker.

“First and foremost, I encourage students, if you have auto insurance, to call your policy and find out if you have roadside assistance. If you have roadside assistance, they usually send out a technician within 20 minutes, if not less,” Colunga said. “It really is good.”

UIW’s Police Department does not have plans to provide this service again. Colunga said, “Right now I rather leave it to someone who actually knows what they’re doing, and if it’s in your insurance, they [your insurance] feel comfortable that they have that person working on your car. If something does happen, they should take care of you better than we could.”

“Auto Insurance” By: bluemoon197511

Colunga said, “Our primary focus is the safety and security of our students.

“We do provide escort service. If you’re at the library late at night, you can call us and say ‘hey, you know, I don’t feel comfortable walking in the dark. Can you have someone go with me [to my car]?’” In 5 to 15 minutes, the closest officer will meet the student and accompany them.

Colunga recalls an event — or accident — that actually that created change in its wake.

“Before the city put the delineators up at Hildebrand, right outside the ICC [a building at UIW], preventing people from going left in-or-out of campus, we had a vehicle turning into campus and get struck by two cars,” Colunga said. “That time of day, it was just a very bad setting and the individuals were all okay, there were minor injuries at the very beginning, but it was what sparked the city of San Antonio to really looking at that intersection and determining what they could do.”

Colunga hopes for the police department to expand its community relations and have awareness events where questions can be asked. He said, “In the future, maybe in the next year or two, I’m hoping by at least 2014 if not sooner — like National Night Out — I want to have a UIW Night Out.”

“Hopefully we’re going to be a little more involved in community training from what do you do in case of a active shooter, or what do you do if you’re caught somewhere — who do you call,” Colunga said. “If you ever have a auto accident, hopefully you never do, but to provide you information. ‘Okay this is step one, step two, step three.’”