Student neighborhoods that have witnessed increased burglaries and other criminal activity could be the focus of a city program in the works to foster crime prevention among engaged citizens.
At a meeting Monday, hosted by real estate company Hovde Properties, hosts looked for input on the proposed “Eyes on the Isthmus” program targeting crimes in the downtown area, particularly in areas heavily populated by students such as West Mifflin and Bassett Streets.
Victor Villacrez of Hovde Properties said over the last year, there has been a noticeable increase in break-ins, to the point that he finally felt he had enough traction to get a group to form and tackle the issue.
“This is grassroots,” Villacrez said. “We’re coming together as a downtown community. No one owns [Eyes on the Isthmus], but we do own the problem.”
He said the number of crimes downtown discourages people from living and working in the area and the issue must be tackled to prevent criminals from becoming even more bold.
Davy Mayer, president of Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc., said crimes such as burglaries are particularly prevalent in student neighborhoods where students do not always think to lock doors and windows.
“With students especially, I think we live in an area of extremely valuable, highly movable objects,” Mayer said, referencing objects like televisions, laptops and other electronic devices.
Mayer, who is a Badger Herald alumnus, advocated the idea of “When you see something, say something,” as a method of stopping a crime before it happens or in order to catch a perpetrator soon after the fact. He said there must be a way of encouraging residents in these neighborhoods to actively call the police if they feel something is wrong.
Ald. Paul Skidmore, District 9, said he has a consistent walking route around the West Dayton, West Wilson, Broom and Bedford neighborhoods from around 10:00 p.m. until early in the morning in which he looks for behavior that is out of the usual.
“I do see a pattern later at night,” Skidmore said. “I see people who don’t live in a neighborhood, and they concern me more than the people who live there.”
Madison Police Department officer Jeff Pharo, a neighborhood officer for the State Street and Capitol Square area, said the population of criminals in the downtown area is very large, mostly consisting of those convicted of burglary, robbery and sexual assault, among others.
He said though he is not sure what draws criminals to certain spots; once they establish a foothold in a place such as Lisa Link Peace Park or the Concrete Garden, they feel empowered and become comfortable enough to stay.
Pharo said he fully supports the idea of neighborhood efforts to curb crime.
“Just knowing that a neighborhood is talking to people and training them to look for things and they’re comfortable with calling the police, that’s great,” Pharo said.
He said having people on neighborhood streets who know what to look for and know to respond to police if they see suspicious activity deters criminals because they will become aware that they are being watched and reported on.
Measures the group seeks to take involve organizing neighborhood walks, working with student groups like the Associated Students of Madison along with neighborhood associations and reminding the student population, which changes annually, of precautions to take.
The next meeting of Eyes on the Isthmus has not yet been scheduled.
