Taylor FrechetteIn light of a recent uptick in campus area incidents, University of Wisconsin officials, police, and student leaders met at a town hall meeting Sunday to address concerns and new campus safety measures.
From 2011 to 2013 more than a 30 percent increase occurred in strong-armed robberies, Carl Gloede, Madison Police Department Central District captain said.
Much of the increase is due to “apple-picking” where people are walking down the street preoccupied with their iPhones and have their phones stolen, Gloede said.
The recent robberies were all off-campus but within four to six blocks, which is why it is a concern to the campus community, Susan Riseling, UW Police Department chief, said.
MPD and UWPD have partnered to put one of each police officer in the Langdon neighborhood down to University Avenue and also in the Regent neighborhood to Breese Terrace, around the edges of campus to do more patrolling on foot, Riseling said.
Emily Hannan, Kappa Kappa Gamma risk management chair, brought up concerns that new campus safety measures should not just be aimed at students who live on-campus since the majority of students live off-campus.
Kate Moran, Safe Arrival for Everyone Nighttime Services coordinator, said SAFEwalk saw a 98 percent increase in use in August compared to August of last year and a 75 percent increase in use in September. SAFEwalk members have been working extra shifts and adding teams to meet demand but are having difficulty meeting their 15-minute response time goal from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., Moran said.
SAFEwalk will be starting their services one hour earlier in October, Moran said.
Associated Students of Madison Chair David Gardner said some feedback received by ASM from students is interest in a method of alternative transportation, similar to the services SAFEcab used to offer.
SAFEcab was defunded because it was an expensive program that only serviced a few thousand students, ASM Secretary Carissa Szlosek said. ASM is still open to discussing SAFEcab or alternative methods of transportation, she said.
Another option could be a late night shuttle service with pick-up and drop-off points around popular areas of campus where people feel safe, Gardner said.
Gardner also said he’s heard consideration of addressing lighting issues around campus, adding surveillance cameras around Langdon and raising awareness about bus schedules.
UWPD has also talked to technology services about creating an application that would act as a “blue light,” similar to the emergency phones placed around campus, Marc Lovicott, UWPD spokesperson, said.
Some basic safety guidelines Dean of Students Lori Berquam outlined were always remaining aware of a person’s surroundings, never walking alone, not displaying phones and electronics and not wearing headphones.
Associate Dean of Students Kevin Helmkamp also suggested keeping porch lights on, moderating consumption of alcohol, locking doors and not leaving belongings unattended.
“Madison is an ideal city, an amazing place to go to school,” Berquam said. “It’s also a responsibility that we all have to share on how do we keep our campus safe.”
