There is small but growing sentiment that the Stanford University Police Department has simply lost sight of its calling. According to its Mission Statement, the department “exists to provide a safe, secure atmosphere, which is conducive to freedom of expression and movement.” That sounds pretty good and might even make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Yet how many times have Stanford cops given citations to bicyclists who rode with a broken headlight, did not register their “vehicle,” listened to an Ipod or otherwise had the audacity to commit an offense that cops in the real world would not even bother to pursue?

While I completely support policies that enhance public safety, it is easy to argue that Stanford cops overzealously crack down on small-time violators, yet fail to address far more flagrant safety issues. Where are the campus police when a student gets robbed at gunpoint in the Toyon parking lot? Where are the cops when the Marguerite corrals down the street, honking at all the bicyclists to either get out of the way or get flattened into a Cardinal pancake?

I know it is unreasonable to expect the police to be around every time somebody commits a truly dangerous act. But the fact of the matter remains that there are plenty of wild drivers, violent criminals and thieves to keep them busy. Is there really any need to become the campus bicycle Nazis when there are far more important duties to attend? It is unfortunate that when a normal student bicyclist sees a campus police officer, his heart starts to race and he wonders if he is doing anything wrong. We have become fugitives on our own campus.

To make matters worse, a plethora of new regulations have come into place this year. In addition to making it a crime to bike on the Quad and other “restricted areas,” these regulations hint at a decadent campus police force that would rather prosecute the community it is meant to serve than devote resources to protect us in our time of need. That’s not to say that bike safety is an insignificant issue. However, with over 12,000 bikes on campus, the number of reported injuries has been surprisingly small. And almost all of the most serious injuries have involved at-fault car drivers who were either speeding or failed to lawfully stop at an intersection. Targeting the bike riders rather than the reckless car drivers is akin to projecting blame onto the victims of violent crime.

Yet I am confident that our campus police officers are not petty people at heart. They have just lost sight of their greater vision — to be our benevolent guardians rather than overzealous ticket writers. Perhaps if we open up a student dialogue and communicate our concerns to the Stanford Department of Public Safety, they will wise up to the problem and change their ways. Instead of breaking out the citation pad for the slightest violation, they should give us cautionary warnings and advice about laws we might not have known about. They should also re-focus their attention on the individuals who represent the greatest threat to public security. The Stanford police should be our friendly protectors rather than small-time ordinance bullies.

Eugene Gu is a junior majoring in chemistry. Email Eugene at eugenegu@stanford.edu.