University of Virginia Library

A Day In The Life

Eight Hours Of Tolerant Professionalism

By DREW GARDNER

James Bunch is a man who has got the beat on his life and
profession. Mr. Bunch is a security officer for the University's
Department of Security and is a dedicated man.

Broad and ominous in his police uniform, the mixture of wit,
humor and sincerity he exudes creates a natural paradox. He likes
children, his family, believes he is serving people, but enjoys
action. He is neither intolerant of people, nor situations of stress;
yet one feels that he is capable of overbearing forcefulness, and
adequately prepared to rise to any occasion requiring such
forcefulness.

And, above all, officer Bunch is honest, to a degree that may
someday cause him trouble in this age when obvious corruption
extends from the top of the political pyramid to its very
foundation. Honest police are not to be found in big city forces,
and are becoming more a novelty than a norm everywhere, it
seems.

He is a refreshing individual, aware of his own deficiencies –
"don't quote me too much – English never was my strong
point." Indeed, sometimes his dialogue grows thick with southern
aphorisms, but his message is never muddled; his down home
charm not diluted; his integrity unquestionable.

When I arranged to accompany a Security officer on a patrol
shift I knew there would be some anxious moments. I anticipated
(and was confronted with) some over conscientious congeniality.
No one, especially the Security Department here (under
monumental changes in structure and priorities after the findings
of the IACP report) appreciates bad publicity.

A Full Day

The patrol shift began at 4:00 p.m., ended at midnight.
During the course of the evening Officer Bunch responded to a
request by the management of the Glass Hat, (for return of
material borrowed by the concession stand at the lacrosse game.);
was involved in the arrest of a person at the Emergency room
(drunk in public was the charge); and raced to the corner of
Emmet Street and Highway 250 to apprehend a male nudist
carrying an umbrella in front of the Downtowner Hotel (we never
found the nudist).

That does not sound like a very full eight hours. But Officer
Bunch explained some of the other responsibilities his job entails.
Security officers are responsible for the locking and unlocking of
every door at the University. They must also take down flags, and
secure missing medical charts at the University Hospital, among
other non-police functions.

Officer Bunch was frank in answering my questions. The first
of which, and the most obvious, was asked very early, before any
strong rapport had been established. I asked him what the crime
trend at the University is today. He feels that, besides narcotics,
there "seems to be a lot of petty thefts. Most of these seem to be
by outsiders."

Then – about rape – he offers a simple, but worthwhile
explanation: "Let's face it", he comments, drawing calmly on his
pipe, "this used to be an all male University. There weren't a
whole lot of girls up here to rape. You've got 'em here now, and
everybody trusts everyone – and there are some people that you
just can't trust."

One thinks this to be the
obvious cause of rape
everywhere – but especially at
Virginia, with the Honor Code
as it is. But this young country
man, with strawberry blond
hair trimmed closely to his
head, continues above the
static jargon beaming out of
the dispatcher: "For the size of
the University, and the way it's
spread around the
Charlottesville area, with the
freedom that the students
have, I think we've been very
lucky."

Officer Bunch has the
Westside patrol on Saturday,
his patrol takes – in itself
without any special calls –
about one and a half to two
hours to cover. He showed me
areas of the University that
most people don't even know
exist.

One man on patrol over
such a large area motivates
speculation about the size of
the Security force. Is it
adequate? There is no
hesitation in his response.
"There is no way, with the
number of men we have, that
we can protect every corner
[of the University] for the
girls. While I think we could
use a few more men, even if we
didn't get them, I think if we
could take some of these duties
away from the officers, like
finding medical charts, or
locking and unlocking the
Rotunda, or taking down the
flag, you know – things like
this, if we could do this, we
could have at least two more
men in this area alone."

Officer Bunch continues
here (the rapport is building)
to explain the role of effective
police patrol. Driving west on
Highway 250, keeping one eye
on his patrol, one on the road,
and glancing often at me, as
though to enhance his already
convincing sincerity, he adds,
"A criminal has to have two
things. He has to have a desire
to commit a crime, and he has
to have a chance to do it. When
he sees one of these cars go by,
it knocks his desire, and it also

takes away his chance ... You know he's thinking: Is
that guy coming back. All we have to do is to be seen in the area."

The recent International Association of Chiefs of Police
(IACP) Report recommended that the Security Department
specialize in preventive police patrol. This seems to be exactly
what Officer Bunch was suggesting. So I asked him for his feeling
on the Department's attitude towards the Report. "I think that
just about all the men are in agreement with the Report, except
for the recommendation for rotating shifts. Most of us have
grown accustomed to our shift."

The daylight begins to fade, and we exchange stories about
family, ideas on the attitude of students at the University

("they're more serious now"), and relate experiences about
police-citizen contact. Eventually the conversation gravitates
towards narcotics use, abuse and the laws today.

Does he think there is a trend in narcotic use? I predict his
answer but want to hear it anyway. "I don't think it is as bad as
it used to be." The subject doesn't die there, and the conversation
progresses toward the legal question. "It's a fad. Let's face it,
when I was in high school I drank more liquor than I do now.
That was the thing." Officer Bunch graduated from high school in
1963. "It was unheard of for us to smoke marijuana then."

"There's a lot of pot being smoked. I know that. Most of the
officers know that. I don't feel it's right, but I think it's going to
be legalized one of these days. Let's face it" – he likes that
expression, and it strikes me as though it is his own, more natural
to him than anyone else that's ever used it – "your simple pot
user is not a criminal, but just the same I've got two kids and I
don't want them to use drugs."

Next we have dinner at the Corner. People glance at the two of
us, some do double takes. They are not sure why I'm with an
officer. It strikes me as a bit tragic that immediately they grow
suspicious. Jim Bunch sees this and comments: "Everyone thinks
you're under arrest." It is true, most give us that 'what's
he-been-nailed-for' look. Dinner is congenial, and I realize that
I'm really starting to like this man, and his whole attitude about
law enforcement.

After dinner, back on patrol the conversation returns to
crime, and I ask about burglaries at the University. "We don't
have very many burglaries, like people breaking and entering.
Most of our stuff comes from kids always having parties – in
rooms and dormitories and stuff like that There are so many
people there they don't know who's who. People will go through
the clothes, steal radios, stereos, cameras and things like that."

So I ask whether the Honor Code has a positive or negative
effect on crime prevention at the University, whether it
discourages crime or encourages it because people are too
trusting. I'll be honest with you" he replies, and I expect him to
say it has a negative effect. Then he hesitates a little, as though to
re-think the question and says: "I think it works both ways. Like
I said before, everybody trusts everybody, and let's face it,
everybody's not an angel. Nobody is in fact. Down at the
Hospital, for example, we have a lot of trouble because
everything is so open. People are constantly walking off with
things. To a certain extent the Honor Code does have an adverse
effect."

It is ironic that the Code should have this effect, considering
its purpose. It's even a bit humorous, I think at this point, for the
day before Security Director Bromwell explained it the same
way.

Can't Be Everywhere

We drive up Alderman road towards University Hall, and we're
back on the subject of rape. What effect do these cases have on
the Department's morale? is my next question. He's blunt this
time, "It doesn't help." And he continues in a tone that indicates
that it does hurt: "The guys don't say anything." And we both
know that he means they think and feel it: but just don't say
anything.

"But actually," he goes on, offering an explanation for their
position," with these rape cases, it's a tough thing. What can I do?
I'm here checking out University Hall, and say another guy is
covering an accident somewhere, and some guy grabs a girl at the
dorms. We can't be everywhere, there's just so much area to
cover. But if we get more preventive patrol out here, outsiders
and even students would say, 'man you don't know when the
fuzz are going to come by'. Then there would be less desire to do
that kind of thing on the Grounds."

Although he feels there should be more preventive patrol,
Officer Bunch doesn't feel this would harass the students. "One
thing about the men [Security force] up here, is they are very
lenient on the students. When students say they're picking on
them, they're wrong. The students need to be involved more with
other Departments. Most police forces are not nearly as easy as
we are up here. In other places you get wrote up and that's it.
Most of the officers here think a lot of the University," he
continues, "but they want these Mickey Mouse things we have to
do done away with, so we can do our job effectively."

At about 8:00 we get a call over the dispatcher, for a disorder
at the Emergency Room of the Hospital. There we encountered
the subject later charged with being drunk in public. Though