On the JHUCrimeLog, Pat Labarskey chronicles the daily affairs of a Hopkins Security Officer, giving insight into the mind of a Hop Cop and the methods of Campus Safety and Security.
But Labarskey isn't real. The Twitter account is a parody created by senior Dustin Lushing - and not everyone has been laughing.
Lushing started the Twitter account over the summer.
"Maybe it was the humidity affecting my brain or the fact I hadn't socialized with another human being in three weeks, but I had a strange, overwhelming desire to start a Twitter from the perspective of a made-up man named Pat Labarskey," Lushing said in e-mail communication with the News-Letter.
In September, the JHUCrimeLog came under fire for using the University's official seal.
"[The JHUCrimeLog] is a satirical blog was in no way representative of the University. Use of the Johns Hopkins seal could have confused visitors," Hopkins spokesman Dennis O'Shea said.
The account restarted on Monday after being on hiatus since Sept. 19.
"JHUCrimeLog went on hiatus after a miscommunication with SGA led me to believe I could get in trouble for impersonating a Hop Cop. Now it's clearly marked as parody, so I'm back for good," Lushing said.
However, both SGA President Marc Perkins and Vice President Evan Lazerowitz said they have not communicated with Lushing.
O'Shea said the University contacted staff members at Twitter, who informed Lushing that he was violating copyright and impersonation policies.
The University seal was removed and Twitter added a notice stating that the account was not affiliated with Hopkins. Lushing was also instructed to add the word "unofficial" to the JHUCrimeLog avatar picture.
"Well, first I was pissed off, because I thought Hopkins was passive-aggressively trying to shut me down, piece by piece. But, then I was happy, because it meant I had grown some sort of following - enough to take up the time of Hopkins' army of lawyers," he said.
"We understand this freedom of expression. Our intention was to deal with the potentially confusing misuse of the University's intellectual property," O'Shea said.
Article III of the Johns Hopkins University Ethics Board Constitution prohibits misuse of the University seal.
Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell emphasized students' rights to freedom of speech.
"We are very cognizant of freedom of speech and very carefully do everything we can to respect that," she said.
"When there are issues that are clearly things that violate some kind of policy, such as using a logo without permission, that is when the University will step in and do something. But there have not been instances, to my knowledge, where the University will take on a battle of trying to shut something down because they don't like what it's saying," she said.
Campus Safety and Security was not involved in approaching Twitter.
"We were aware of this site but had no involvement in the matter," Assistant Director of Security Thomas Sipes wrote in an e-mail to the News-Letter.
Lushing praised the work of Campus Security.
"At Hopkins, security is a necessity. We'd all like to live in a world where one can walk down the street gleefully free of danger, but that's not reality. We need a security presence in a big city like Baltimore. Whenever I see a Hop Cop, I feel more comfortable," he said.
"Not to mention the fact they protect me from the drunken stampede of student-athletes who yell things at me when I walk past PJ's. I am small and frail, by the way," he added.
The JHUCrimeLog has been well received by students.
"The only commentary I've personally received are e-mails from my friends telling me I'm 'not funny' and 'to go outside.' I have 83 followers on Twitter, and more readers beyond that. The majority of them go to Hopkins, so I'd like to think I'm making people laugh every once in a while," Lushing said.
"It's pretty funny. It's pretty comical," said Andrew Jaffe, a graduate student at the School of Public Health.
Jaffe felt that it was clear the Twitter account was a parody.
"It was obviously a joke," he said.
Stephanie Geller, a sophomore international studies major, said, "JHUCrimeLog is the funniest thing I've ever read on the Internet."
Students typically found out about Pat Labarskey from other online sources, such as Facebook or the gossip blog JHUConfessions.
Lushing has resumed the Twitter for personal motives.
"I'm bored, and I figure if I get 500 followers, I can impress at least one girl," he said.
