<p>"The [female] victims were walking southbound in the 3500 block of N. Charles St. at about 11:40 p.m. when two suspects approached. One of them pointed a silver-colored revolver and demanded undisclosed property, which they turned over, the crime alert says." ...</p>
<p>Four</a> JHU students robbed on Move-In day - Baltimore Sun</p>
<p>I love Peter</p>
<p>The three chicks are to blame, not the school. This is not nyu. Why would one walk off campus near midnight. smh.</p>
<p>^It’s a big deal because it happened on the first day - totally coincidental timing. The truth of the matter is worse incidents happen On Campus at Penn, Duke, Northwestern and Harvard (including a rape at Harvard Yard). Crime at urban colleges is not news. Schools are making strides, but let’s not blow this out of proportion simply because of the timing.</p>
<p>RhythmMeleon - The four female students are NOT to blame - that is in an uninformed and ridiculous statement. This incident occurred right outside my daughter’s dorm on her first night on campus. The girls were across the street from the main campus area, right next to a freshmen dorm. A movie on campus had just finished for freshmen and they were probably walking back to their room. They did the right thing and handed over their cell phones, which was what the robbers were after. Cell phone theft is huge these days. That was what the gunman wanted, and got. The campus beefed up security right away and all freshmen attended security presentations as part of orientation.</p>
<p>campus security is no substitute for real Baltimore Police presence which I am not sure exists in the immediate vicinity. Campus security is good at documenting events (after they happened) and educating staff and students about safety</p>
<p>^Personally, I think that the HopCops are a good substitute for Baltimore City Police. The HopCops are much more responsive, and they are real police with full police powers. Most if not all were trained at police academies, and many are former municipal or state police officers.</p>
<p>The Baltimore Police are present of campus but they aren’t as responsive as HopCops since HopCops are the first dispatched when an incident occurs on campus</p>
<p>When I visited JHU in an information session, they said the school is always monitored by CCTV and a response will be within minutes. Although the robbed place was just outside of school boundary and late evening, JHU and Baltimore Police Department should put more securities surrounding area even outside of the campus.</p>
<p>Is safety more of a concern at JHU than at other urban campuses? I’m sure there are incidents at every college, but can anyone recommend a multicampus safety study or comparison?</p>
<p>In my opinion, it is not. The campus itself is very safe. JHU has an excellent campus police department and one of the most advanced security systems in higher education. Issues, when they arise, tend to occur off campus. The areas surrounding the Homewood campus are relatively safe, but it is a large city urban environment so reasonable precautions are required–such as traveling in groups after dark. There are some very bad neighborhoods in Baltimore (as there are in most American cities 
) but the neighborhoods adjacent to the Homewood campus are not among them. That said, it is true that some level of street smarts are required at any urban campus. Frankly, the problem is that students are a relatively easy mark for inner city teenagers and petty crooks. Students usually have money, smartphones and other electronic products and, if female, jewelry. And students usually don’t put up too much of a fight so if you are wandering around late at night, particularly if you are alone, you are asking for trouble. If this is too scary for you, then apply to a place like Dartmouth (but beware, there is crime even in Hanover, N.H.).</p>
<p>If you compare the published crime statistics for JHU with those of its urban peers (Yale, Penn, Columbia, etc.) you will find that, if anything, Hopkins offers a safer environment.</p>
<p>Blaming the girls is just axxinine. They may have been foolish…but blaming the victim of crime is never particularly smart. And yes, that’s an understatement.</p>
<p>Whoever blamed the girls for this is an ignorant *******. I know those girls and am friends with them. It was “off campus,” but literally one block away from the university campus AND housing. What happened was dealt with appropriately by the Hopkins and Baltimore police and measures have been taken place to ensure safety in the surrounding area. There is currently a lot of construction happening on campus which was most likely a part of the problem. As a whole, Hopkins is very safe, though students who do live off campus (in non-university housing) should take precautions because they are living in a city with a high crime rate.</p>
My kid thought JHU had the best noticeable security of all the schools he visited. They need it in Baltimore. I would not let him apply to any school in Philadelhia and strongly discouraged U ofChicago.
^Interestingly, I’m from Philadelphia and I go to JHU, and honestly I feel much, much safer in Philadelphia than here. (The campus itself here is very safe, I’m just talking about the surrounding city). In fact, I’m seriously considering transferring to UPenn next year…
With the rioting & burning down of Baltimore & the incompetent leadership, this does not bode well for JHU students. If I were a parent I’d be very concerned.
This school is amazing and I’ve been living in Baltimore for many years(the county), but I know how it is in the city. John’s Hopkins Hospital/University is in a crime driven area, but I just wouldn’t attend.
I visited twice in the last 2 months for campus tour and athletic recruiting.
Spent time around campus amd drove off campus in various directions.
This is the most horrible city we visited by far.
Old, run down and the worst lowlifes hanging around.
Stuck in traffic one night, few blocks from campus,
as 8 police cars surrounded suspects of who knows what criminal activity.
Watched them handcuff and walk unsavory folks to
their police cars.
I am from a major city, and went to school myself in 2 other
major US cities. Baltimore is the worst, and the area near campus
is bad. I loved the campus, the school, but would tell my child
to never walk off campus if he went there.
I lived through this in two cities and subsequently fled to the suburbs There is no virtue in this type of lifestyle. Later I learned in Eastern Europe that some 3rd world countries like being third countries; and that is how I feel about Baltimore.