<p>Last year I wrote off JHU because I heard about murders on campus, but now I'm thinking about it again. Does anyone know much about safety issues on campus?</p>
<p>ahhh...there were murders on campus????? I thought it was a suicide....this is scary. Please tell me this isnt true. Where can I find this story?</p>
<p>Most urban college campuses have some security issues and there where two murders in off-campus housing in April 2004 and January 2005 (one at a apartment building right across the street from campus and now sandwiched between two dorms and the other, I think, at a frat house). In the time since the murders, the university has done a lot to improve security and make the campus and the surrounding areas safer. Tons of cameras have been installed around campus and the university's hired a private security company (Allied Barton) to man the entrances to university-owned housing <a href="including%20the%20dorms,%20the%20university-run%20apartments%20%5BHomewood%20and%20Bradford%5D%20and%20the%20university%20owned,%20privately-run%20apartments%20%5BCharles%20and%20Blackstone%5D">size=-3</a>[/size], patrol campus and the neighborhood and supplement to HopCops (Hopkins police officers). There are also blue lights around campus that actually work (if you don't know what the blue lights are, they're a system most colleges have where there's a pole with a bright blue light and a emergency button on it - when you hit the emergency button, it immediately calls Security to your location and at some schools, it sounds a siren). There's also shuttle services that take you to most of the places students want to go - the Inner Harbor, the Towson mall, the grocery stores, and anywhere else within a mile of campus. </p>
<p>I've never really felt unsafe on/around campus and I would say that most other students probably feel the same way. Still, you have to use some common sense, especially since you're living in a urban environment - always stick with a group of friends after dark, stay in well lit areas, use the shuttle services etc. </p>
<p>I think the best way to judge the security is to visit campus. When I was applying and before I came to visit, I knew (or at least, I thought I knew) exactly one thing about Baltimore: it wasn't a safe place. Before I visited, the safety issue was really big and I thought it would be enough for me not to go to Hopkins. But visiting campus and staying overnight and going around other parts of the city with my parents really changed my impression on security/safety at Hopkins</p>
<p>We happened to do a campus visit the week after the April 2004 murder (it was actually the day of a memorial service on campus). This kind of thing, to me, is a heads up that tragedies can happen where and when you least expect it. It did not make me fearful of safety issues at Hopkins, per se. I happen to like cities, have lived in cities as well as suburbs and rural areas. Hopkins is not in a particularly dangerous area, imo. </p>
<p>I have no hesitation about my son being there and I would have no hesitation about a daughter going there. </p>
<p>All schools we visited put an emphasis on safety and security. My impression is that Hopkins goes out of its way to be stellar in that department.</p>
<p>I agree with tanman that a campus visit is the best way to satisfy yourself about your comfort at any college or university, as well as to get a feeling for all the other important elements entering into your college choice.</p>
<p>I regularly walk back from the library to my dorm alone at 3 am and I never feel unsafe. Usually the only people I see are security guards. The campus is really well lit and there are no shadows.</p>
<p>Off campus is a bit sketchy. I never go more then 3 blocks off campus during the day with out at least one other person. I never go off campus at night without at least 3-4 other people. I wouldn't recommend anyone ever walk any substantial distance at night no matter how many people are with them. </p>
<p>There is a security escort service that operates until the wee hours of the mourning. There is also a security van that will take you up to a mile of campus.</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins has a deputized police force as well as private security firm. There are also student monitors patrolling the campus until 2 am. </p>
<p>You need to remember that Baltimore is a large city. There are gentrified neighborhoods and their are less well of neighborhoods. The area immediately around the Homewood (undergraduate) campus is pretty nice but it quickly deteriorates. Like any big city, you need to take basic precautions (don't walk alone off campus at night, don't display large amounts of cash, look ahead, avoid eye contact with beggers ect.)</p>
<p>Here is a link to the annual security report. Click on Homewood Campus links.
Having visited recently, I think it is safe enough to send my kids.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman and have been here for three weeks. The FIRST meeting we had at orientation was a mandatory security meeting, even before we were addressed by the dean. They explained all the different security services we can take advantage of, as well as all the different systems they have in place. I can tell you that I would be very suprised not to see a security gaurd (or a few) on a walk around campus. Even off campus last weekend we ran into a bike patroller and one on a fancy segway. I don't ever feel unsafe on campus, and immediately off campus (two blocks or so on all sides of campus) I don't really feel unsafe either. The area directly around campus is really not that sketchy at all in my opinion. 3 or more blocks away and it's fairly sketchy but I haven't needed to go anywhere that far away yet anyway. And like tanman said, if I did need to go somewhere out of walking distance, the collegetown shuttle would take me there for free. I feel like Hopkins is really in a good place, because it isn't right in the middle of the metro Baltimore area so there's not a ton of traffic and excitement, but all that is right around the corner if I want to take advantage of anything there.</p>
<p>As I was walking back from the library tonight I actually thought about how well lit the campus is. Charles street is the same way, and all around the off-campus apartments too.</p>
<p>I had my friend visit this past weekend and it was just a little bit short of a hassle getting him into the dorms. Every time he entered he had to be with me and he had to leave ID at the gate with the security gaurd. Even when I enter the dorms I need to use my access card both at the turnstyles and at the door to get in.</p>
<p>The only run-in I had with any security issues was last weekend when I was walking to the 24 hour diner ~3 blocks away from campus. Some homeless guy asked us for change. Realize that it was close to 3AM, we were pretty far from campus, and he didn't threaten us or anything.</p>
<p>Hopefully this helps shed light on the security issues from the perspective of a freshman.</p>
<p>This is only slightly related to safety, but I've been asked about it, so I figure I'll add it here: The Hopkins Health</a> and Wellness Center is actually in the freshman dorms. The can provide pretty much any non-emergency medical service you need, can give you a lot of different non-prescription drugs (and even some prescription ones if you're on the University health plan) and can write prescriptions for other medications. The closest pharmacy is in the Wyman Park building which is technically a part of campus and maybe a 10 minute walk from the dorms. There's also a 24 hours pharmacy and drug store (Rite-Aid) on the University shuttle route. As for hospitals, the closest one is Union Memorial Hospital and its ED (Emergency Department) is less than 2 blocks from campus. There's also a 24/7 on-campus student run EMS service that can be called for any medical emergency/issue.</p>
<p>This happened yesterday.
<a href="http://www.jhu.edu/%7Esecurity/2006fa2.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.jhu.edu/~security/2006fa2.htm</a></p>