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An inside look at a UPD patrol James Hayes @jimbles_hayes
University Police Department (UPD) officers roam campus throughout the week, watching over Cal Poly and the surrounding neighborhoods. However, this is a small portion of their job. Last Saturday evening, Mustang News had the opportunity to ride alongside UPD officer Neal McAllister during one of his weekend patrols. Officer McAllister works the swing shift — the shift preceding the graveyard shift — from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. He began his shift by drinking a protein shake. “I drink four of these a night,” he said, only to be cut off by another officer who advised not to get him talking about his protein shakes, or else he’d be talking for hours. At 9:30 p.m., all the officers met with Sgt. Shawn Bishop to brief the sergeant on what happened the previous shift. This process happens between each shift to pass along any information that may be helpful or key for the following shift. After the briefing, Officer McAllister’s patrol began. His first call was responding to a fire alarm in Cerro Vista apartments. He climbed into his patrol car, which he referred to as his “baby,” and headed off toward the residence hall to investigate. “Most of our calls are either alcohol-related, or someone who didn’t know how to make bacon,” he said.
UPD doesn’t only respond to on-campus On the weekends, McAllister spends evecrimes or alcohol-related offenses. It handles nings patrolling the neighborhoods looking problems with facilities, fire alarms and lost for students who are drunk in public, carand found. rying open containers of alcohol or other McAllister’s patrol took him throughout signs of danger, but keeping a sharp eye out campus and through several of the sur- for basic traffic violations. rounding neighborhoods. He patrolled in Stopping someone for a traffic violaneighborhoods on Hathway Avenue, Fred- tion or a fix-it ticket can mean stopping ericks Street and downtown. someone who is also under the influence, Despite receiving the San Luis Obispo McAllister said. City Council’s formal blessing to enforce McAllister’s job is not about getmunicipal code violations within a ting students in trouble, one-mile radius of Cal Poly, but protecting them from UPD officers are state their mistakes. Working officers, so their juon campus, he is able risdiction extends to forge a relationover all of Caliship with the stufornia. They are dents. “Most of our calls are able to respond “Some will say to and detain ‘Hey, Officer either alcohol-related, people anyMc A l l iste r !’ or someone who didn’t where in San when they see Luis Obispo, me drive by,” he know how to even outside of said. make bacon.” the county. That protecMcAllister was tion, however, in constant condoes not mean letNEAL MCALLISTER tact with dispatch the ting people off with UPD OFFICER whole night. He spoke warnings. Arresting stuin the radio to other officers dents for being drunk in pubwhenever he moved from one area to lic or having open containers of alcothe next, pulled someone over and anytime hol prevents some students from harming he responded to anyone 911 calls that night. themselves later. “Dispatch is kind of like our parents,” he “If I were to let them go, and they stumsaid. “If you’re quiet for too long, they’ll ra- bled into traffic and got hit by a car, I would dio in basically asking us ‘How are you?’” be held responsible,” he said.
Baseball team squeaks out win over alumni Ty Schilling @CPMustangSports
The Cal Poly baseball team began its 2016 season playing a friendly game against program alumni on Saturday. Despite scoring seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 10,
He kept the mood light, using the loud speakers in his car to shout “Run, Forrest! Run!” to a small group of students running down the street. He joked with another who was dressed as a sergeant, asking “Hey sarge, how’s it going tonight?” This particular Saturday night, five party buses had parked on Hathway Avenue with a crowd of students heading to themed parties. Students dressed as angels, demons, referees, athletes, hunters and deer swarmed the street, adopting a complacent and docile demeanor when they saw the approaching patrol car. Most of the party buses that depart from Campus Bottle on California Boulevard go downtown to other venues that fraternities and sororities have rented out for the night. McAllister drove through those areas to keep an eye out for students who may be intoxicated. Around 9:50 p.m., Officer McAllister spotted a student laying on the curb, surrounded by friends. He hit the brakes, radioed in that he had stopped to check out the situation and stepped out of his patrol car to approach the student. “How are you doing tonight?” he asked, getting only a slurred response back. McAllister proceeded to question the student, asking “What is the legal drinking age in California? What does seven 3/4 make?” to see if the student was able to respond correctly and coherently. Continued on page 2
English graduate student David Llamas performing a literal reading of an Amazon Review titled, “Amazon Review.” English senior Bailey Satterfield: “Greatest Fear.” An intense look at the darker side of a romantic relationship through narrative prose.
the alumni failed to hold off the young Cal Poly team. The Mustangs responded with four runs of their own and held off the alumni for two more innings, winning 14-10. Continued on page 8
see the full Loverspeak photo story on page 5
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