City and campus police officials are stepping up enforcement in response to recent property crimes in the Regent-Vilas-Greenbush neighborhood.
The Madison Police Department and the University of Wisconsin Madison Police Department have always had a working relationship, UWPD spokesperson Marc Lovicott said. After the recent string of campus area crimes that involved UW students in some cases, UWPD decided to step up its enforcement, he said, which means UWPD is sending more officers on foot, on bike and in vehicles to the areas where the crimes have been most frequent.
Police are investigating two recent incidents in the neighborhood, a MPD statement said. One was a mugging of an Edgewood student that occurred on the 100 block of North Lathrop Street, the statement said. The suspect, who fled the scene, stole the victim’s iPhone and purse, according to the statement.
Another incident was an armed robbery that occurred at the 1800 block of Vilas Avenue early Tuesday morning, according to a statement on the MPD police blotter. A husband and wife were awakened in their home by a burglar alarm around 3:40 a.m. when they noticed the intruders and started to “holler” at them, the statement said. The couple went downstairs and realized the intruders had snuck through their open garage door and stole several Apple electronics, the statement said.
The statement said police are investigating other armed robberies in property crimes in the Regent-Vilas-Greenbush neighborhood. A 17-year-old suspect was recently arrested for an armed robbery on North Lathrop Street, but police believe there are multiple suspects involved.
Ald. Sue Ellingson, District 13, said the recent increase in crime is not unusual, and has happened in past years. However, she said these robberies are the first she’s heard of where a gun was used.
“Its pretty common, especially at the beginning of the school year, for burglaries to increase,” Ellingson said. “… but this is the first time I’ve heard about someone with a gun.”
Another MPD statement listed 10 armed robberies from the period of May 1 to Sept. 23 for 2013, which is up from 2012’s number of nine from the same time period.
The statement said police have seen an increase in “strong-armed robberies” where a robbery was committed without a weapon. According to the statement robbers have been practicing “apple-picking,” which is where they pluck a phone or other electronic device from a victim’s hands.
Lovicott said people who carry electronic devices make themselves easy targets for robbers.
“That’s common any place across the country,” Lovicott said. “A lot of times individuals are targeted because they have a cellphone or other electronic device out.”
Lovicott said if someone is walking alone with headphones in, they can be unaware of their surroundings and attract robbers.
In the cases the police are currently investigating, electronics were targeted, Ellingson said. Burglars who steal electronics often try to resell them online, she said, adding police have a system for tracking them down although they have not been able to locate any stolen electronics yet.
Lovicott said students and other residents should always take safety precautions, such as never walking home alone.
“People should never walk alone especially at night and not carry their cellphones in plain view, which makes them a target,” Lovicott said.
