What exactly were members of the FBI and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department doing on campus last week? That’s the question percolating its way around Sacramento State.

In case you missed it, two men approached a female student on Oct. 3 in the Riverfront Center food court and asked her to accompany them to an unspecified parking lot to “assist in their investigation.”

Skeptical, the female student notified campus police of the incident.

Two days later, the Sacramento State Police Department posted a media release stating the two men were actually law enforcement officers – one from the FBI and one from the sheriff’s department.

The official story is one of the men showed the student a business card. A business card that could be made at a local FedEx Office for a few bucks.

After the sexual assault epidemic last year, including an unsolved abduction and rape, showing a business card as identification is simply not enough. A badge with photo identification would have been a much better choice.

In Thursday’s press release, the University Police stated there was no safety threat. However, it seems the FBI and sheriff’s department neglected to remember the incidents from last fall and how students – especially female students – should be extra cautious when presented with these situations.

The FBI declined to comment on the investigation itself, as expected, but what were two law enforcement officials doing attempting to get a female student out to a parking lot near where a victim was abducted and subsequently raped almost a year ago? Why didn’t they clearly identify themselves?

These are questions to which we’ll likely never know the answers.

Not only this, but the FBI and sheriff’s department did not notify campus police of its operation. Since the FBI nor sheriff’s department won’t comment on the investigation, it’s not known whether the agents’ cover could have been compromised by communicating with University Police.

It’s curious that the FBI and sheriff’s department are even running a law enforcement operation on our campus, but it’s especially curious that neither enlisted the help of fellow officers from University Police.

“They don’t have to (notify us),” said Kim Nava, director of news services at Sac State. “It’s not necessary, but we do have a good relationship.”

Despite the good relationship, University Police officials were not made aware of this operation, a mistake on the part of the FBI and sheriff’s department.

University Police know this campus better than almost anyone. If the FBI and sheriff’s department really needed assistance with an investigation, they could have gone about it in a better way.

And in the wake of last year’s assaults, a courtesy heads-up was in order. It seems like there was a lack of common sense on the FBI and sheriff’s department part.

The student obviously did the right thing in notifying University Police. The officials could have shown a little more compassion for the situation, especially since the student refused to accompany them to the undisclosed parking lot.

Students have every right to feel safe on campus and should not be put in potentially dangerous situations.

Being a law enforcement official cannot be easy. However, it doesn’t absolve officers from mistakes such as this.

There needs to be clear lines of communication across different law enforcement agencies. There is no reason this incident should ever have been made public – or had been an incident at all. Alas, it was, and all we’re left with are questions.

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