Campus Safety had a busy weekend

Over the weekend, members of the Muhlenberg community were notified of two campus safety-related incidents: a found BB gun on Albright Street and a suspicious person on Chew Street.

BB Gun Incident – Friday, September 16th

On Friday, Campus Safety was notified that a student had found a handgun lying in the grass in the 400 block of Albright Street. When an officer responded to the scene, they were able to confirm that the gun was actually a BB gun, albeit an incredibly realistic replica of a 9mm handgun. According to Brian Fidati, Director of Campus Safety and Chief of Police, the BB gun had a complete barrel and lacked the orange tip that generally identifies a BB gun from a regular gun.

“The presence of a gun of any type might be alarming” said Fidati. “If someone flashed that at you, you would have no way of knowing it wasn’t real.”

Earlier that day, the Allentown Police Department notified Campus Safety of BB gun-inflicted damage in the vicinity of 19th Street and Tilghman, which is considered off of Muhlenberg’s campus.

The message sent through email was designed to minimize rumors regarding the incident and the gun, said Fidati.

Muhlenberg’s policy regarding any type of weapon on campus is very clear – they are not permitted. More information can be found on the Dean of Students’ website. If a student uses a weapon for an off-campus class or activity, they are required to store them at the Campus Safety office, says Fidati.

Suspicious Individual – Saturday, September 17th

On Saturday, two female students walking along Chew Street reported a suspicious individual on the opposite side of the street. According to the Campus Safety report, the students started to walk faster until all three people involved were running. It is unknown whether the individual said anything to the students.

“There may have been a comment about ‘I’m coming after you,’” said Fidati. “But because he was across the street, we’re not sure if that actually happened.”

Fidati also restated Campus Safety’s policy on escorts throughout campus.

“We offer escorts 24 hours, seven days a week from anywhere on campus to somewhere else on campus.”

Campus Safety encourages all students to report suspicious activity. Often, for cases involving suspicious individuals, the investigation is facilitated by reports from students.

“That’s why we send the [e-mail] messages,” said Fidati. “On the chance that someone else has seen something and calls it in, that starts the investigation.”