Do alumni get DPS Safety Reports?

[🏀]

Chapman brings up a lot of good points.

1.) LIMOs can take way too long. I know it's not student 'speedy' it's student 'safety'. However, if it takes longer than a half hour to get your destination, it's hard to justify taking it.

2.) SIDEWALKS are terrible. Outside of campus owned sidewalks it is terrible.

3.) I've ever seen a safety patrol past Humphrey.

[MUfan12]

I've never understood the point of the safety patrols. None of those people would stand a chance against a would-be attacker. I guess it's supposed to deter that by looking official, but with how brazen these crimes are becoming, I wonder if DPS/SSP would be better off putting those resources elsewhere.

[muhoosier260]

I've never understood the point of the safety patrols. None of those people would stand a chance against a would-be attacker. I guess it's supposed to deter that by looking official, but with how brazen these crimes are becoming, I wonder if DPS/SSP would be better off putting those resources elsewhere.

they have weapons....walkie talkies!

[muwarrior87]

and big flashlights

[jaybilaswho?]

I was at murphy's irish pub for a majority of the night last night and you wouldnt believe the amount of cops that would come in on foot patrols. Four times throughout the night a group of anywhere from 4-12 cops would come in and walk to the back of the bar, stay for about 2 minutes then leave and walk down the streets. By the third time they came in, I had drank enough to get to the point where I thought it would be a good idea to talk to one of the cops. I asked, in so many words, "what are you guys doing?" They said that due to the criminal activities recently, they have been assigned foot patrols around the campus area.
i know that some of you will probably say, "what are they doing in the bars? the crimes are not happening in the bar." Perhaps, the criminals go into marquette businesses over the evening. Seeing a bunch of cops might make them think twice. I dont know how effective this will be but i guess we will see.

[tower912]

I was there in the 80's.   I interrupted 2 muggings just by being in the right place in the right time and reacting aggressively.   The apartment I lived in my senior year (Michigan and 21st) had a sexual assault in the downstairs apartment the summer before I moved in.  The assailant broke in through a window.   I did my laundry 3 blocks from Jeffrey Dahmer's house, just as he was becoming active, though nobody knew it at the time.  One of my roommates swears he met him in a bar on Wells, though I think this particular roommate is full of Badger.  A female student was killed in front of the florist across from Mashuda, I think in the summer of 85.   A drunken student got in a fight outside the 'lanche and died, either in 85 or 86.     These latest events, though unfortunate, are nothing new.   Crime is everywhere, particularly when the economy is in the crapper, let alone because of the fact that there are some complete nutjobs out there.   Do you suppose the parents of the victims at VT and NIU were relieved when their children picked those schools because they were safely removed from an urban environment?  Be smart.

[🏀]

I was there in the 80's.   I interrupted 2 muggings just by being in the right place in the right time and reacting aggressively.   The apartment I lived in my senior year (Michigan and 21st) had a sexual assault in the downstairs apartment the summer before I moved in.  The assailant broke in through a window.   I did my laundry 3 blocks from Jeffrey Dahmer's house, just as he was becoming active, though nobody knew it at the time.  One of my roommates swears he met him in a bar on Wells, though I think this particular roommate is full of Badger.  A female student was killed in front of the florist across from Mashuda, I think in the summer of 85.   A drunken student got in a fight outside the 'lanche and died, either in 85 or 86.     These latest events, though unfortunate, are nothing new.   Crime is everywhere, particularly when the economy is in the crapper, let alone because of the fact that there are some complete nutjobs out there.   Do you suppose the parents of the victims at VT and NIU were relieved when their children picked those schools because they were safely removed from an urban environment?  Be smart.

That's an excellent perspective to put it in.

[MileHigh]

Chapman brings up a lot of good points.

1.) LIMOs can take way too long. I know it's not student 'speedy' it's student 'safety'. However, if it takes longer than a half hour to get your destination, it's hard to justify taking it.

2.) SIDEWALKS are terrible. Outside of campus owned sidewalks it is terrible.

3.) I've ever seen a safety patrol past Humphrey.

being a resident of Mashuda, the safety patrol does make it here, not much further though

[augoman]

the majority of robberies, muggings, kidnapping-for-atms is drug related.  the economy doesn't effect this.  further, UW led the big ten in rapes a few years back, but the majority were not reported to police, rather handled by the school security/safety dept, so not counted.  crime is a fact of city life, exacerbated by proximity and unlikely apprehension.  before MU embarks on another multi-million dollar debacle like 'campus circle' where they do the city and police dept's work for them through urban renewal, they should get some guarantees from the city-maybe that closed Wisconsin Ave they were after-maybe a closed Wells street, possibly a 'walled campus' like Georgetown, or SLU where they close the gates to the thru streets at 9 or 10 pm.  whatever the answer, the city council and MPD in particular should be made to answer to MU, and this crimewave could be the necessary fire under MU's butt. 

[chapman]

the majority of robberies, muggings, kidnapping-for-atms is drug related.  the economy doesn't effect this.  further, UW led the big ten in rapes a few years back, but the majority were not reported to police, rather handled by the school security/safety dept, so not counted.  crime is a fact of city life, exacerbated by proximity and unlikely apprehension.  before MU embarks on another multi-million dollar debacle like 'campus circle' where they do the city and police dept's work for them through urban renewal, they should get some guarantees from the city-maybe that closed Wisconsin Ave they were after-maybe a closed Wells street, possibly a 'walled campus' like Georgetown, or SLU where they close the gates to the thru streets at 9 or 10 pm.  whatever the answer, the city council and MPD in particular should be made to answer to MU, and this crimewave could be the necessary fire under MU's butt. 

I agree it is drug related.  I see probably two or three people every week who are obviously not students walking around near campus either with a can of Steel Reserve or smoking pot.  It's commonplace and it shouldn't be. 

The latest public safety alert somewhat addressed the slow LIMO service problem.  There is now going to be a white LIMO running on a set route from Straz Tower to 22nd on Wisconsin and back the other way down Wells and stopping at every corner.  Not the greatest route considering where the problems are occurring, and it would be a big help to have one or two other set-route LIMOs with routes that are geared towards students living on or off of Michigan, Kilbourn, or State.  Stil, it's safer for people to know they can get to within one or two blocks from where they live within 15 minutes.

[Jimbo]

the majority of robberies, muggings, kidnapping-for-atms is drug related.  the economy doesn't effect this.  further, UW led the big ten in rapes a few years back, but the majority were not reported to police, rather handled by the school security/safety dept, so not counted.  crime is a fact of city life, exacerbated by proximity and unlikely apprehension.  before MU embarks on another multi-million dollar debacle like 'campus circle' where they do the city and police dept's work for them through urban renewal, they should get some guarantees from the city-maybe that closed Wisconsin Ave they were after-maybe a closed Wells street, possibly a 'walled campus' like Georgetown, or SLU where they close the gates to the thru streets at 9 or 10 pm.  whatever the answer, the city council and MPD in particular should be made to answer to MU, and this crimewave could be the necessary fire under MU's butt. 

I agree it is drug related.  I see probably two or three people every week who are obviously not students walking around near campus either with a can of Steel Reserve or smoking pot.  It's commonplace and it shouldn't be. 

The latest public safety alert somewhat addressed the slow LIMO service problem.  There is now going to be a white LIMO running on a set route from Straz Tower to 22nd on Wisconsin and back the other way down Wells and stopping at every corner.  Not the greatest route considering where the problems are occurring, and it would be a big help to have one or two other set-route LIMOs with routes that are geared towards students living on or off of Michigan, Kilbourn, or State.  Stil, it's safer for people to know they can get to within one or two blocks from where they live within 15 minutes.

What we're dealing with right now is more than just guys from the homeless shelter picking up Steel Reserve at OP.  Considering last weekend's abduction involved students being forced in a vehicle and taken a significant distance from campus, that seems to suggest that the perpetrators were more than likely not the guys you regularly see wandering campus with a can in a paper bag.  Wednesday's robberies also involved perpetrators in a vehicle and they were also implicated in a robbery at 13th and Center that same night.  I would be interested in hearing MPD's response to whether these crimes may have been perpetrated by members of the same gang.  According to MPD part of the reason why there had been a spike in drug activity in Avenue's West was because gang members and dealers knew they could do business in the area relatively safely in comparison to other neighborhoods in the city.  Perhaps the same principle holds true for the robberies at Marquette.  Criminals know they can make quick money without entering rival territory or being shot back at.

I wouldn't go so far as to say the economy isn't a factor.  When I say economy I'm not just talking about our most recent downturn and talk of recession.  Certainly many crimes are drug related, however a lot of crime is driven by economic factors or people turn to crime due to a number of factors, many of which are tied to the economy.  Do you think someone who is unemployed or chronically unemployed is more likely to rob a kid on the street than someone who is gainfully employed?  So now we have to look at why they are unemployed.  It's not because there aren't any jobs to be found in Milwaukee, because there are.  Part of the problem is that a large part of our available workforce does not match the needs and requirements of employers seeking new workers.  Supply and demand.  So why are so many potential workers falling short of employer requirements?  Education.  And now it starts to become apparent why we as a community can't afford to have daily attendance at public schools below the 50% level and high school students dropping out when they turn 18.  What I'm getting at in around about way is that while responding to a rash or recent crimes on campus does call for a serious police response, it is only a temporary fix and will continue to be until we can start to reverse some serious problems that have plagued Milwaukee and other large cities for years.  What are the answers?  Who knows. 

None of this is meant to make excuses for these criminals.  They're making a conscious choice to harm another human and should be dealt with accordingly.  These recent crimes are bringing some serious issues to our attention.   

[Jimbo]

also I assume most everybody has seen this  http://www.wisn.com/news/15529627/detail.html
According to public records available online he lived in the 3600 block of n. 13th.

As a college student it is weird to think how somebody our age or younger is preying on students.  Not even 20 years old and facing 8 felonies.

[muhoosier260]

Jimbo, you try to address the crime situation....but...yet...don't. i could've urinated in my own mouth and gotten better results. we are all aware of what you stated. i think the limo express that MU started today is a start, but by no means will it stop any crime. I know DPS cares about what they do, but in reality I don't think they do much else than repel hesitant criminals. I appreciate what they do but they just don't have the resources to keep MU clean, unless they want to put someone @ every intersection from 9 p.m.-3 a.m., unrealistic.
As grim as it sounds, I don't think much can be done about what is going on. Students have to be smart, and shouldn't be criticized if they walk home. Thats total bs that a student is ostracized for walking home at an odd hour. Thats a decision they make. No one thinks this will happen to them, nor should they.

[MUfan12]

Between crotch shampooing and urinating in your own mouth, that's a full day right there, hoosier.

[muhoosier260]

Between crotch shampooing and urinating in your own mouth, that's a full day right there, hoosier.

hahahah, ya, its been a doozie

[spiral97]

decent article on the MU trib site about this.. seems to address some of the comments made about the MPD and the DPS Limo system..

link here

In the wake of five armed robberies that occurred on Marquette's campus within the last week and a half, Milwaukee Police Department District 3 Capt. Jim Harpole said MPD is placing the safety of the campus as "a very high priority."

"Marquette is not just a university to us," Harpole said. "It's part of the fabric of District 3. It's connected to us, we're connected to it."

Monday evening, the Department of Public Safety demonstrated this strong working relationship with MPD at a safety forum in the Alumni Memorial Union. The forum addressed concerns of the Marquette community in light of the recent string of robberies against students.

One suspect is currently in MPD custody for the first incident, when a 22-year-old female student was robbed at gunpoint outside her apartment building at 12:05 a.m. March 1. Shortly after, two male students were abducted and forced to withdraw money from ATM machines. MPD believes the two incidents are related.

The second set of robberies, which MPD said doesn't appear to be related to the crimes on March 1, occurred around 3 a.m. March 5. In those incidents, a suspect attempted to rob two students in the span of less than five minutes.

Harpole described the recent string of robberies as "an anomaly." According to Harpole, overall crime in District 3 is actually down 19 percent compared to this same time last year, and the Marquette neighborhood is statistically one of the safest areas in Milwaukee.

While Harpole said the recent robberies are in no way typical, a possible explanation may be a policing plan that recently targeted the areas west of 27th Street. According to Harpole, crime may have been displaced from that neighborhood into areas east of 27th Street.

As of noon on March 5, MPD addressed this issue by expanding its Safe Streets Initiative policing boundaries into the Marquette area. According to DPS, MPD officers will now have a 24-hour presence on campus.

Kylene Scharf, a freshman in the College of Health Sciences who knows one of the victims, said the recent crime on campus definitely concerns her.

"When I first got to school, I was very cautious about everything I did and where I went because I wasn't sure of my surroundings," Scharf said. "As the year went on, I definitely became more lax about where I was and I became more comfortable about walking around late at night. Then something like this happens and it wakes me up to how careless I was being."

Rachelle Underhill, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, also said she now thinks twice about her safety habits.

"Before last week, I would walk from the library to Campus Town (Apartments) by myself no problem," Underhill said. "But now I definitely take a LIMO if I'm by myself."

Students like Underhill who utilize the LIMO service now have a new option, according to Chief Larry Rickard, director of DPS.

As of 6 p.m. last Friday, students were able to utilize the new LIMO Express service, which provides continuous looping service from Straz Tower to North 22nd Street. The new service is being offered in conjunction with the traditional LIMO vans, which will continue to provide door-to-door service.

Rickard said this pilot program was launched as a result of student complaints regarding the time it takes to make a trip using the traditional LIMO service.

"Even though we feel we have a very good LIMO service, there is always room for improvement," Rickard said, noting many other colleges throughout the country look to Marquette's LIMO program as an example.

Much of the discussion at the forum centered around the LIMO program, but Rickard also urged students to consider what they can do to help Student Safety Programs. This includes calling to cancel the LIMO if you no longer need its services and truly being "ready and waiting" when the van arrives.

[2TimeWarrior]

I know DPS cares about what they do, but in reality I don't think they do much else than repel hesitant criminals. I appreciate what they do but they just don't have the resources to keep MU clean, unless they want to put someone @ every intersection from 9 p.m.-3 a.m., unrealistic.

Any thoughts on commissioning our Public Safety Department?  That might give them more resources.  There would certainly be some logistical issues, but other than that...