Content Warning and Statement of Intent: The purpose of this document is to advocate for all

students, primarily those who are marginalized on UW’s campus. As such, this resolution
contains sensitive topics including sexual violence, police violence, and mental health. We
encourage you to take steps required for your wellbeing and step away from the meeting
and/or turn your camera off. Please remember as you engage with these topics that they are
highly sensitive and traumatic topics for many students.

WHEREAS current HFS residents pay 7 dollars a day to park in residential parking, equalling
approximately 525 dollars per quarter on top of the cost of tuition, housing, food, and other
expenses (1); and

WHEREAS many HFS residents require the reliable use of personal vehicles in order to transit
to and from their jobs, healthcare, and family members; and,

WHEREAS multiple female-presenting residents have expressed concerns regarding their safety
while in the residential parking areas; and

WHEREAS the interaction of UW Students and residents with those breaking and entering into
vehicles opens up the possibility for violence against these students (2); and,

WHEREAS continuing UW HFS resident Izzy Oballo, who houses her car in a residential
parking lot, states “Last year during spring my car was broken into in Garage W29. I had items
stolen from my vehicle, the person who broke in slept in my passenger's seat and smoked in my
car…It took almost three weeks to fix the damages. I find it very concerning that…anyone on the
street can walk into a parking garage students pay a lot of money to use each quarter. For the
amount of money we put towards being able to park we should… be able to know that our
vehicles are safe at all times. There should be something in order to keep students and their
belongings safe.”; and

WHEREAS UW HFS resident Michael Saunders, who housed their car in Garage W33 states,
“Last summer, my vehicle was broken into and my shoes got stolen unfortunately. The repairs
were almost $400 due to the vehicle having an older window model, and the items stolen were
worth like $500. I find it quite appalling to go back to W33 because the glass that was broken
from my window is still there in the same spot it was broken into. As a student, paying fees for
parking with no security or follow-up, I truly wonder why there is even such an extraordinary
cost to parking on campus. Like this is where I live”; and

WHEREAS Madison Truitt states, “My name is Madison Truitt and I am an Undergraduate
student here at the University of Washington. I live at the Commodore Duchess apartments and
as such park in the C06 parking lot, aka the parking lot under Red Square. Seeing as how I pay
between $400-near $600 per quarter and the UW Police department is so close to that garage, I
assumed that my car would be safer in this garage than any of the rest. Sadly that has not been
the case. I have had to move my car between several parking garages for my safety over the past
year and on the weekend of November 20th my car was broken into back in the C06 parking lot.
These damages were such that my back rear window had been broken, shattered, that my
entire front steering panel had been ripped out and thrown around my vehicle, my car battery had
been stolen, and my air filter had been removed and stolen as well. This rendered my car
undrivable and certainly not safe. During that period, I had to renew my parking permit. I could
not afford to do so as I had to pay to have my car towed and repaired in an auto shop.
Not only has parking on campus not been safe, but it has been extremely costly in
numerous ways I couldn’t have imagined. Once my car got to the auto shop, I was informed that
there were issues I didn’t initially see (such as the stolen air filter) but that those that damaged
my car were about 2 steps away from stealing my car. The lack of safety in the UW Parking
Garages very nearly allowed grand theft auto to happen to my vehicle. In total, parking at the
University has cost me nearly $2,000 in damages and repairs, in addition to nearly $2,500 in
parking and fees.
The University of Washington needs to ensure there is safe parking, for students, for
faculty, for visitors, for everyone who comes onto this campus. This University needs not only
more parking lights (which if I am being honest is a very weak first step into creating a safer
parking lot), but through having gated garages with FOBs given to those with a parking permit,
though having cameras installed to be able to identify anyone who gets in a garage and damages
a vehicle. If the University wishes to keep students and faculty here and happy, they need to
invest in safety measures that do not involve police and truly keep us and our property safe,”;
and,

WHEREAS the majority of current residential parking lots are publicly accessible and not gated
from non-UW students and residents in contrast to colleges such as the University of Houston in
which access is limited solely to university residents (3); and

WHEREAS sexual assault and sexual harassment is a serious concern on college campuses.
Nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States have been raped at some time in their
lives according to 2010 figures (4); and,

WHEREAS 14.1% of recorded sexual assault victimizations in 2019 in the state of Washington
occurred in parking lots and transportation hubs, second only to the category of residence/hotel
(5); and,

WHEREAS camera surveillance was found by a study of the US Department of Justice to be

associated with “reductions in… violent crime” where violent crime is defined as “murder and
non-negligent homicide, sexual assault offenses, and both aggravated and simple assault
offenses” (6); and,
WHEREAS according to the international security organization ASIS, “Sex trafficking victims’
accounts identified security failures and inadequacies that allowed the victims to… remain
captive” (7); and

WHEREAS systems of surveillance exist in cameras placed within residential halls and
communities that are exclusive to HFS residents and their guests; and

WHEREAS surveillance of a space made even more public than these walkways would not
further encroach upon residents’ privacy beyond these indoors cameras; and,

WHEREAS surveillance video was explicitly used in the process of finding a UW sexual assault
suspect that intruded into a student’s residential hall room (8); and,

WHEREAS camring systems would improve the timeliness of patrols and responses to decrease
the interface between residents and UW students and those who are breaking and entering into
vehicles (9); and,

WHEREAS, in a statement from the ASUW Director of Campus Partnerships, the Blue Light
system at UW is dysfunctional, the cost of adding onto and repairing this system would be
tremendous, and UW has shifted its focus away from the Blue Light system; and,

WHEREAS the ASUW Co-Director of Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Activists
agrees that “the blue light system is dynfuctional and not enough” and states that installation of a
camera system in residential parking lots “is a necessity”; and,

WHEREAS UWPD’s website affirms that “Everyone has the right to control their own sexuality.
Sexual assault, including date/acquaintance rape, is a very serious concern of this police
department”; and,

WHEREAS UW Security Services Manager Michael Sletten estimates an approximate cost of

$48,000 for the installation and implementation of camring security systems within a single
parking garage the size of Stevens Court lot W32. This number is an estimate and may not
entirely reflect the actual cost upon installation; and,

WHEREAS “The financial implications of merging proactive CCTV monitoring and directed
police patrol: a cost–benefit analysis” by Piza et al indicates “strong support for the cost benefit
of the CCTV Directed Patrol strategy, as the direct costs of the intervention inputs were
completely offset by the benefits generated by the crime reduction” (10); and,
WHEREAS a systematic review by from McMaster University demonstrates a “significant and
modest decrease in crime…” associated with CCTV monitoring and that the “largest and most
consistent effects of CCTV [are seen] in car parks” (11); and,

WHEREAS the Campus Security Responder Program began in 2021 and currently contains only
two unarmed Responders as of November 2021, limiting the range and efficacy of this program
at the current moment; and,

WHEREAS a similar strategy may provide data to indicate the most optimal allocation of limited
human resources related to unarmed security patrols in the residential parking lots; and,

WHEREAS the UW Policy Directory details that “Transportation Services provides access to
commuter and residential parking at the University of Washington, Seattle. The University is
responsible for managing parking to allow campus access. Transportation Services manages the
parking for the University through designating lots, designating parking spaces for specific uses,
permitting, and enforcing parking rules within Chapter 478-116 WAC and this policy statement,”
(12); and,

WHEREAS any capital investments or installations within the Residential Parking lots of UW
must be authorized by UW Transportation Services; and,

WHEREAS UW Transportation Services is currently developing a master plan for campus safety
pulling upon a specially allocated reserve. A camera system was installed in UW Tower last year
under this initiative. However, Eric Johnson of UW Transportation states that there is “​​not a
timeline or any requirements for camera installations in residence parking garages outlined in the
master plan”; and,

WHEREAS the RCSA represents residential opinion as a democratic residential organization

including representatives from the residential communities; and,

WHEREAS the RCSA supports the installation of these cameras as a resource to improve
residential safety in parking lots in recognition of current residential concerns and supports the
allocation of the funds for this effort with a focus on minimizing costs to UW students,
represented by Executive Board Bill 2122.3 “A Bill in Support of Camera System Installation in
Residential Parking Lots”; and,

WHEREAS the majority of car break ins and crimes within residential parking lots currently
occur within the Stevens Court residential parking lots (13).
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON:

THAT UW Transportation Services authorize the installation of a camera system within

residential parking lots on campus. These lots shall include all current lots and all future
residential parking lots that may be constructed. These current lots include W20-23 of Cedar
Apartments, W 29 and W32-33 of Stevens Court, W 39 of Mercer Court, and N13-15 of
McMahon Hall; and

THAT UW Transportation Service prioritizes residential parking lots in the master plan of
camera system installation which will use UW Transportation Services specially allocated
funding sources; and,

THAT precedence for first installation be given to the parking lots of Stevens Court in
recognition of the higher incidence of car-break ins and theft within these lots; and,

THAT UWPD commit to the allocation of funds to the installation of the camring systems within
residential parking lots; and,

THAT a committee be convened including at least 70% student membership to determine the
efficacy of these camera systems as they are implemented to ensure that all allocated student
funds are being used to improve UW student safety; and,

THAT reports from this committee be provided to ASUW Senate, UW Transportation Services,
and the general UW Student population each year; and,

THAT the above committee at minimum include student representatives from ASUW Student
Senate, ASUW Board of Directors, Graduate Professional Student Senate, RCSA, ASUW Sexual
Assault and Relationship Violence Activists, and ASUW Gender Equity Commission as well as
any other interested students and student leaders; and,

THAT these meetings be public and accessible to any interested parties; and,

THAT an advisory be posted in all residential parking lots preceding this installation by at least
one week along with a continuing advisory while the cameras are in place; and

THAT an email be sent to all UW Students by UW Transportation Services outlining resources in

the case of sexual or violent assault with a focus upon on-campus resources as well as the new
future resource of the residential parking lot camera system; and,
THAT UWPD non-armed security officers, or Campus Safety Responders, who patrol the HFS
buildings, take precedence in responding to residential parking lot footage and alerts from the
camring systems in cases where this is appropriate; and

THAT a UW Confidential Advocate be involved in the process of accessing footage in the case
of sexual assault in the residential parking lot and be made aware of this resource for residents;
and,

THAT any use of footage of images obtained through these residential parking lot security
systems be focused upon the well-being and safety of residents above all else; and,

THAT any footage or images obtained from footage of these cameras that displays a UW student
only be released with the explicit permission of these students when not in a state of duress; and

THAT UW invest further in additional methods of protecting student safety in the nightscape
such as University District Alternative Emergency Service, SafeCampus, Nightwalk, and others;
and

THAT a copy of this resolution be forwarded to UW Transportation Services Director Caryn

Walline, UW Transportation Services Eric Johnson, UW Transportation Services Staff Member
Brent Curtis, UWPD Deputy Chief Craig Wilson, UWPD Major Steve Rittereiser, UW Security
Services Manager Michael Sletten, HFS Executive Director Pamela Schreiber, the HFS Director
of Residential Life, the ASUW Director of Campus Partnerships Michael Saunders, the ASUW
Director of Community Relations Geeta Iyer, RCSA President Aliyah Cleveland

Sources:

(1) https://transportation.uw.edu/news/parking-rates-2020-21-approved
(2) https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/juvenile-carjackings-increase-coron
avirus/2021/02/24/903e8fda-6c81-11eb-ba56-d7e2c8defa31_story.html
(3) https://www.uh.edu/af-university-services/parking/Gated-Lots-Conversion/
(4) CDC National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010
(5) https://bjs.ojp.gov/nibrs/reports/sarble/sarble19
(6) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nancy-La-Vigne/publication/280089845_Evaluating
_the_Use_of_Public_Surveillance_Cameras_for_Crime_Control_and_Prevention/links/5
5a7ccbe08ae5aa1579dbaa8/Evaluating-the-Use-of-Public-Surveillance-Cameras-for-Cri
me-Control-and-Prevention.pdf
(7) https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2019/07/no-vacancy-
for-human-trafficking/
(8) https://komonews.com/news/local/police-looking-at-surveillance-video-to-find-uw-sexua
l-assault-suspect
(9) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11292-016-9267-x
(10) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11292-016-9267-x
(11) https://www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org/full-article/es/cctv-surveillance-key-tool-crim
e-prevention-3092
(12) https://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/APS/53.01.html
(13) http://police.uw.edu/crimedata/60daylog/