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Serial Killer Puts Southern U. Students on Alert

By Gabrielle Maple
Black College Wire

Students returning to Louisiana's Southern University for the fall semester received chilling news of a possible serial killer in the Baton Rouge area.

"I didn�t want to come back when I heard the news of the serial killings," said Sheryl Bethea, a sophomore psychology major from Bastrop, La. "Whenever I go out, I make sure I travel with a group."

This sense of unease was sparked by the unsolved murders of three Baton Rouge women: Gina Green in September 2001, Charlotte Murray Pace in May, and Pam Kinamore in July.

According to police, all three deaths have been linked to forensic evidence found at each crime scene. Police have not identified a suspect.

The Southern University Police Department has joined with local authorities to make students aware of the importance of safety on campus and within the community.

"Students need to utilize services and familiarize themselves with the resources around them," said campus Chief of Police Dale Flowers. "It could mean their life."

According to Flowers, the department has installed 16 new security cameras, started an evening shuttle service, and added police officers on bikes to its arsenal.

Flowers said the added features ". . . Can�t solve crime, but can help fight it."

"Through community policing, we hope to tear down the walls between the department, students, faculty and staff," Flowers said.

Officials from the Baton Rouge Police Department and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff�s Office have offered valuable information to students through a series of seminars and workshops.

In a recent safety seminar, sponsored by the Women Initiative Project Center, Fabian Blache, Jr., administrative assistant for the Sheriff�s Office, pointed out several things that students, primarily females, do to put themselves at a potential risk.

"We aren�t vigilant enough," said Blache. "We tend to focus on what we�re doing and not our surroundings."

Blache cited cell phones as one of the biggest distractions among females.

He also stressed that students should know the locations of local law enforcement agencies if they are off campus.

Gabrielle Maple attends Southern University and is a reporter for The Southern Digest.