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Crime decrease in Madison, homicides rise

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According to the 2003 Uniform Crime Report, crime has decreased in Madison, while the use of university safety resources, such as SAFEwalk, by University of Wisconsin students has increased.

The Madison Police Department held a conference last Thursday to review the 2003 Uniform Crime Report. The report shows that Madison’s crime rate decreased during 2003 while statistics show homicides doubled.

Madison’s crime decreased 2.2 percent and theft cases decreased by 4.3 percent. The city continues to be among the safest for its size in America, according to the Capital Times.

The University of Wisconsin manages several organizations around campus to combat crime, such as the UW police force and programs like SAFE, which offers free cab and bus rides or assisted walks with two SAFEwalk employees. Female students, faculty and staff of all ages can also enroll in the self-defense program Chimera, taught through the Dean of Students Office. Also available on campus are more than 60 emergency telephones with a direct line to a police dispatcher. Several residence halls also have 24-hour outdoor phones.

Many students agree that services around campus as well as the general atmosphere of the city maintain a safe atmosphere.

“To be honest, I don’t hear much about crime, so I’m not too worried about it,” UW freshman Jess Walters said. “I live in the lakeshore dorms and, for the most part, I feel safe living there. I’m always walking down University Avenue and it’s usually busy and there are always people around.”

Despite the overall decrease in the crime rate in Madison, SAFE Coordinator Jane Goemans said there has been an increase in the number of calls to SAFE over the past couple of months.

“When crime incidents happen on campus, we tend to see an awareness in SAFE,” Goemans said. “Unfortunately, crime is a trigger and the walks do pick up around campus.”

Despite the increase in awareness and use of SAFE, employees tend to witness incidents like traffic accidents or fights, according to Goemans. Students notice potentially unsafe situations and refrain from walking alone in areas poorly lit or less populated.

“I wouldn’t walk along the lakeshore path alone because it’s not well lit, but other than that, I feel that the Madison campus is a safe place to be,” Walters said.

Goemans said SAFE staff train with UW police officers to recognize potentially dangerous situations, and they always carry a two-way radio to the SAFE dispatcher and the UW police dispatcher.

“Basically, SAFE walkers don’t have any real confrontations, but people have talked to them about being harassed,” Goemans said.

In such cases, SAFE works to familiarize their staff and students with resources on campus like the Rape Crisis Center, the Campus Women’s Center and even the Multi-Cultural resources, specific places offering assistance to students who feel uncomfortable on campus.

Following FBI guidelines, homicides by drunken driving, reckless use of a motor vehicle or hit and run were not included in the total report, according to the Capital Times.