<p>After the Vtech incident today, my parents are skeptical about sending me to live in a dormitory. How is the security at GU? Is it average, or greater than state schools, etc...Have there been any shootings or violence recently at GU?</p>
<p>To get into the dorms you have to swipe your ID once to open the outer doors and then swipe again inside at a desk. Student guards staff the desks for all dorms inside the main gates from 8AM to midnight, and contracted security officers are at the desks from 12AM to 8AM. In East Campus (LXR Hall) contract guards always staff the desk. Students are pretty lax about making you swipe during the daytime--because it's usually clear who's a GU student and who isn't. The contracted guards are quite strict in my experience, however. </p>
<p>You can get into any dorm with your GOcard between 8 and midnight, and after that you have to be signed in by a resident of the dorm. Non-GU affiliates always have to be signed in by a resident, and in the wake of the incident at Virginia Tech individuals without GU IDs will no longer be allowed in GU residences between midnight and 8 AM unless they are registered with the Dept. of Public Safety beforehand. </p>
<p>All the doors to every academic building are on the same computerized system, so theoretically I think the University can lock the door to every building on campus with the touch of a button. The Metropolitan Police Department also patrols campus, so I'd say it's pretty safe here. GU has adopted all the same security measures that GW has, and GW is actually in the city, versus Georgetown's location in a residential neighborhood. The apartment-style housing at GU is similar to the dorms in that the door to your entryway is locked at all times, and I believe only the cards of the people who live in apartments off that entrway will unlock the door. </p>
<p>Georgetown's pretty safe in general, occasionally there's a mugging, but it's usually someone who is being stupid walking alone by themself at 4AM. There really isn't much crime to speak of on campus.</p>
<p>The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) patrols all areas around the University, including 37th to Wisconsin and the Burleith area. Georgetown University recently partnered with the Citizens Association of Georgetown to increase funding for MPD patrols throughout the neighborhood. DPS patrols occur frequently throughout the night, especially in the wee hours of the morning near Prospect Street, where the lights can be pretty dim at some points.</p>
<p>To reiterate what Copley stated, the best thing to do is travel in a group, and not be out at 3AM in the morning on a weekday. In terms of on-campus crime, there's very little -- usually it's a missing item here or there, but nothing serious. </p>
<p>Every door that requires card-swipe entry is regulated by one central system (won't say what, but GU students can look at the black card swiper and notice that it's a tool that we commonly use, surprisingly enough). </p>
<p>One thing: GOCards will only get you through the door between 9 and midnight. Before 9 o'clock, you can access any dorm (through the student guard station) that Georgetown students reside in. After 9, you can get through the door, but a resident will have to sign you in if you do not live at that dorm.</p>
<p>I would say that Georgetown is safer than some most neighborhoods; our partnership with the neighboring residents to create a safe environment for both students and permanent residents help foster a security-based town-gown relationship that is greatly beneficial to both parties. We have the full resources of the 2nd Division of MPD available to us if necessary, and in my experience they have made their presence well-known rather quickly.</p>
<p>Wow. Just wow. This makes my parents and I feel much better. Thanks Copley and tlaktan, much appreciation!</p>
<p>The first thing I would remind your parents is that you have a much better chance of being the victim of a car accident/a thousand other things than a catastrophe like 9/11 or what happened at VTech.</p>
<p>Having said that, I won't say that there havn't been some issues at Georgetown. There was a shooting in Village B two years ago. A friend of mine lived across the way from the apartment where this happened and to say that DOPS botched the investigation would be charitable. This year, there's been an incident in which DOPS and students from another university got into a fight, resulting in one officer being knocked out. The night of the 2nd round basketball game, a kid got robbed and hit with a pistol at the corner of Village A and the library parking lot...the blood was still there when we got back from Winston-Salem at 4 am. You can look up various other incidents in The Hoya, searching Campus Safety press releases, etc.</p>
<p>Despite all of this, I have never felt unsafe on campus at any time, and I don't know anyone who does. Off-campus is a different story, but the university has done an admirable job this year in terms of expanding Safe Rides, coordinating with the Neighborhood Advisory Commission to have off-duty MPD people patrol the neighborhood, have a contracted security worker do loops around the Walsh/Nevils/LXR complex at night, etc. A city's a city and there probably will continue to be isolated incidents, but on the whole I'd say you can minimize your risks pretty easily. And on campus, it's not even an issue.</p>
<p>Hate to bring this up when folks are in the middle of EA anxiety or RD work, but saw some stuff at thehoya.com that was troubling.</p>
<p>Asking as a mom: How are security and crime going this year? </p>
<p>To quote dzleprechaun: "A city's a city and there probably will continue to be isolated incidents, but on the whole I'd say you can minimize your risks pretty easily."</p>
<p>Does that still hold true? Can people feel safe walking to the CVS at 5:30 p.m.?
(Can students also remember to lock their doors - or make sure the locks work - and secure their laptops?)</p>
<p>Purplexed and to the students and parents who are concerned:</p>
<p>I am currently a student at Georgetown... there have been nothing serious on/off campus... there have been some minor break-ins in the Henle apartments and I believe one or two mugging.</p>
<p>I have walked several times to CVS well past midnight, not to say it always holds true nor a smart thing to do, but usually there a few people in the streets to keep an eye on you.</p>
<p>Georgetown, the town, overall is very safe. For one thing, we have a few senators and representatives that just live a few blocks off campus (if you can use that as an indicator of safety). Generally, the freshmen dorms are very safe, especially Harbin, where everyone knows everyone on the floor and if someone strange is about, they will be reported. As the posters above, I see DPS officers patrol very heavily. And there are front door guards that require swipe ins (although that rule is not always the most followed).</p>
<p>But I just want to say that Georgetown is a very safe college town, less the isolated incident that occurs over the years.</p>
<p>Thanks, sophomore12.
I'll keep checking hoya.com to get a broader view. As a whole, that school paper paints a picture of an engaged, thoughtful, diverse, caring campus.</p>