The Badger Herald: News: Woman reports robbery early Friday

News

Woman reports robbery early Friday

Victim mugged while walking home on Henry Street; alder candidate blames police

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Also by Heather Burian:

Several men rob, assault victim on Langdon Street (May 6, 2009)
Road repave should begin (May 6, 2009)
City commission calls Field House landmark (May 4, 2009)
Mifflin battery follows successful block party (May 4, 2009)
Mifflin arrests decrease dramatically (May 3, 2009)

By Heather Burian
Monday, February 2, 2009 12:42 a.m.

6 Vote 0 Votes

Police are investigating a robbery early Friday morning just off the University of Wisconsin campus.

According to a Madison Police Department incident report, at approximately 3:05 a.m. Friday morning, a 20-year-old female was intoxicated and walking alone on the 500 block of North Henry Street when a male dressed in a black puffy coat and a black stocking cap approached her.

She was on her way home from the Church Key Pub and Grill, according to Mark Woulf, a University of Wisconsin junior, District 8 alder candidate and friend of the victim.

According to the MPD incident report, the perpetrator was 30 to 40 years old with a muscular build weighing about 180 to 190 pounds. He allegedly asked her what was in her pockets and then grabbed her and threw her to the ground. He eventually fled on foot without taking anything from her.

The victim sustained scratches to her legs but did not require immediate medical attention, according to the report.

Woulf held a press conference Sunday discussing his stance for safety reform after his friend was mugged early Friday morning.

At the press conference at Memorial Union, Woulf said he believes his friend was robbed because the police were not protecting the streets, but were instead focusing on massive bar raids.

“Note we’re not sympathetic because [the police report] attributed it to her being drunk, not being in wrong place at wrong time,” Woulf said.

The Madison Police Department issued approximately $11,000 in underage tickets Thursday night.

Longtime Madison resident Rosemary Lee said though she often defends UW students, the victim had no excuse, drunk or sober, for walking home alone. Lee added if a person is alone at night he or she can utilize SAFEwalk or a taxicab.

“My feeling is if a person has enough money to go drink, which we all know is fun — I did it in college — it is not essential to college,” Lee said. “If kids have money to do that, they darn well better have enough money to take a cab home.”

Lee added police officers are always stationed around Park Street and Gilman Street, especially where Ian’s Pizza and late night food vendors are located.

This is a teaching experience for students who need to be aware the “evil on the streets” will approach vulnerable persons, according to Lee.

“If it’s called a community policing task force then it should be policing the community,” Woulf said. “It should be overlooking the community; it should be keeping the community safe. It is less safe when there is no law enforcement on street.”

Those who have any information on this case or see any suspicious activity are instructed to call Madison Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014.

6 Comments | Leave a comment

Anonymous | February 2, 2009 6:43 AM | Reply

Problem is, girls may go in a pair to a bar. One hooks up with some guy she barely knows, and they go home to his place for sex. The other girl then has to walk home alone. Girls need to be more loyal to their friends, and set aside their ambition to have a baby or capture a new boyfriend. If the guy is interested, he will follow up with a phone call; if not, he was not worth the trouble. As a bouncer, I see this all the time.

Anonymous | February 2, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply

Jeez 11 grand, sounds like a Mifflin warm-up for the BOYS (indicating a lack of support for an argument that they are sensible adults) in blue. Thank God good old Johnny Law keeps the line at Jinns safe, because, of all places in Madison, (and there is some intense sarcasm following) that is where I feel the least safe. Christ Almighty! A line 30 deep is really where these thug-athletes are trying to take my wallet..Yeah and about that…For cryin’ out loud, I live off Regent, and the thugs trickling in from Badger Road is the problem. Joel DeSpain can suck it, because, as his job performance clearly indicates, sucking is one of his favorite pastimes. Hey Joel, I heard that a stranger stabbed and killed a UW-student on campus about a year ago. Any leads yet? No? But you did give out over a thousand under-ages, so we will just look the other way. As a point of reference, I am 23, and I still think I’d rather have militia rule over your incompetent command, and the collective incompetence of your entire department.

Anonymous | February 2, 2009 7:33 PM | Reply

I mean no offense to Ms. Lee; but really how does her residency relate to the issue of police protection? The article does not say how long ago Ms. Lee was a student but my guess is crime has increased in Madison, so what use to work when she was a student may not be effective today. Furthermore, it would have been interesting to hear the side of the police. Especially the part about justifying more patrol for underage drinking rather than providing some measure of street safety for all the citizens of Madison, including students.

Anonymous | February 3, 2009 1:23 AM | Reply

I think Ms. Lee is missing the point. The point is not that the young lady should have utilized the Safewalk program or a cab, the point is that because of lack of police presence on the streets it is no longer safe to walk two blocks home in downtown Madison.

Rev Steve Best | February 3, 2009 5:03 PM | Reply

Community Policing is a valuable resource in motivating neighborhood residents to cooperate with police in reducing crime. Although it is not a cure-all, community policing can have a positive impact by establishing a volunteer police chaplain program (at little of no cost to the PD). Assigning volunteer police chaplains to specific police sectors where their respective congregations are located accomplishes three purposes. 1) Clergy are known in the community and are privy to issues in their specific neighborhood. 2) A PD has an additional and respected voice in neighborhoods. 3) Parental control of neighborhood youth is enhanced. (What would grandma say if she knew what you are doing?) PD chaplains riding with police officers send a message to the community that the faith community is a player in reducing crime and public nuisances. “Stories of the Street: Images of the Human Condition” demonstrates the significant contribution volunteer police chaplains make in serving specific neighborhoods in a community policing module. Ref: www.strategicbookpublishing.com/StoriesOfTheStreet.html Volunteer Police Chaplain Steve Best, (Ret.)

Anonymous | February 9, 2009 9:37 PM | Reply

I’d like to point out that the SAFE program doesn’t go until 5am. I once tried to call the SafeCab at 4:30 in the morning and it only went until 2 or 3 in the morning (forgive me I can’t remember exactly when the answering machine said the services ended for the night). I was able to get two of my guy friends to walk me home, but that’s not the point. What if I hadn’t had those two friends to walk me home? I guess Ms. Lee’s argument that if they’ve got money to go to the bars they should have money for a cab home.. But I wasn’t even at the bars. I guess that means more planning on my part?? Which really just boils down to the fact that I don’t feel safe walking home five blocks by myself. Yes this is a city, but it’s a small city. Yes the campus is located in the heart of the city, but that doesn’t mean that the inability to walk down the street alone at night without feeling worried about getting robbed (or worse) is suddenly okay (because “it’s the city”).