Since Jan. 1 Rowan’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) has made 17 arrests for possession of controlled dangerous substances and issued eight summonses for having an open container of alcohol, both on and off campus, according to the department’s daily crime log.

According to Reed Layton, Senior Director of Public Safety, many of the arrests are due to public safety’s proactive patrol work, traffic stops, and searches prompted by probable cause.

“Whether you’re arrested on campus or arrested in Glassboro, we have a mutual agreement with each other that if a student gets arrested, we give the information to the Judicial Affairs Department, and the student is held accountable for their actions on and off campus,” Layton said.

Other arrests have come from tips made by dormitory Resident Assistants. Layton said that if suspicious activity is taking place in a student’s dorm, an RA will often call and report the activity. These reports can sometimes lead to a drug arrest.

“The more the campus increases the population, which it is increasing all the time, there’re going to be more situations,” Layton said. “That’s just the way it is.”

Even if arrests are made for non-Rowan students, Rowan’s DPS still has the right to take action.

Layton also said that DPS strives to be proactive to keep the campus safe for the community.

“We’re always doing proactive programs,” Layton said. “We coordinate things with SGA or Student Life, we’re always out trying to educate the students about drug awareness with drug prevention talks and different things to that effect.”