<p>I finally had a chance to visit Uof C and its surrounding area at the convocation. For a New Yorker that had been held under the gun point in Brooklyn Navy Yard and have to visit Harlem every so often, the surrounding area of UOC is pretty “normal” and lame to me. I drove down the S Cottage Grove to the 86th street ? Target to buy stuff and went to the Federal Dollar store in the “danger zone” to get hardware etc… Nothing special to me! I am fine with the college, its an Urban University, just like Columbia, JHU or UPenn, nothing special, don’t worry about it.</p>
<p>Well here are my thoughts now that I am a student here.</p>
<p>We have the largest private police force in the world outside of the Vatican! The University Police all walk about in bulletproof vests, and some carry submachine guns (mostly MP5s). Well this may make us seem safe it is also worrying that we need this level of protection.</p>
<p>The day before last a girl got mugged. She was with a group of friends (including guys) waiting, on campus, in line for a university bus. She was the last one walking on when she was seized from behind. This took place in broad daylight, on campus, surrounded by people. The girl ended up fine. I found this extremely unnerving as it shows the incredible level of stupidity among the criminals here. In general one can assume the way in which criminals will attack this mugging defied all logical reason.</p>
<p>Last night a group (two guys one girl) was stalked. A guy came up behind undoing his jacket for no apparent reason and began to follow the group. As they started to run the man gave chase. They hit the emergency buttons as they ran and were picked up by Safe Ride.</p>
<p>These are just the events I have heard about, that have taken place since Monday when the quarter started. I have been walking about at three in the morning
alone. I have only felt unsafe once. A man crossed the street towards me. I work out and am fairly intimidating, I think, I simply stared the fellow down. Nothing ensued.
I find it amusing in a somewhat depraved sense that they have candy-baskets of rape whistles with little cards on what to do when attacked, fliers in ALL the dorms instructing students how to describe a suspect to police, and the seemingly mandatory, constant, remarks never to go walking alone.
Its safer here then I had expected in some ways, worse then in others.</p>
<p>Cheers</p>
<p>Just some clarification…</p>
<p>Regarding the oft-mentioned Vatican police force comparison: the Vatican City police force is actually not a private force, as Vatican City is a state.
Also, both Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have larger police forces than UChicago.</p>
<p>If you want to find out more about safety resources and policies from the source, check out the recently updated Common Sense publication here: [Common</a> Sense](<a href=“Page Not Found | University of Chicago”>http://commonsense.uchicago.edu/)</p>
<p>As a student, I have never seen a police officer armed with a submachine gun either.</p>
<p>Hello,</p>
<p>“Under the Vatican legal system, the Swiss Guard is a military corps. But because Swiss law forbids citizens to serve in a foreign army, the papal Swiss guards have the status of a private police force.” More info: [The</a> mercenaries who converted the Vatican - swissinfo](<a href=“http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Home/Archive/The_mercenaries_who_converted_the_Vatican.html?cid=4960306]The”>The mercenaries who converted the Vatican - SWI swissinfo.ch)</p>
<p>University of Chicago states simply “over one hundred state certified officers”
University of Penn. states 116 officers, but notes that they are only the second largest university police force
Harvard no info given on exact size</p>
<p>The MP5 I saw… I don’t walk around snapping pictures of everything, so unfortunately I can’t prove it. Frankly almost every police force in the country has a whole arsenal of weaponry that’s never seen.
If we want to go on about why you have never seen one of the officers with a larger firearm… I have only one polite reason, never happening to walk by one (or you’ve simply forgotten)… the other reasons are not particularly nice (I can write them out if you really want to hear them) ;)</p>
<p>Cheers
:)</p>
<p>There is no question that the school is located in a more challenged urban area and many threads had lengthy discussions about it. However, my take of it, after being there for only 3 days, is that the school is in an urban area not worse than many urban schools, such as JHU or Penn. And if you want to, go to Pratt in Brooklyn and see it yourself.</p>
<p>I’d say if the campus polices have to carry MP5, it must be triggered by some incident that requires such attention. I cannot imaging and have not seen they carry MP5 all the time on a regular duty, in the current environment on campus.</p>
<p>I regularly travel to much challenging urban neighborhoods than what I saw in the surrounding areas of UofC, namely the streets beyond 63rd. And I think the University has spend a lot of efforts to improve security by hiring extra University Police and other measures stated by OP. As a result, the stats provided by another poster show no major crime on campus for the last few years.</p>
<p>“Feel Safe” is very subjective and personal. One can feel not safe in middle of a corn field, otoh, others can walk on Bowry in NYC and jump over those drunk on the sidewalk and still function without fear. If OP cannot feel safe in such an evironment that UOC provides, then the school is not for you.</p>
<p>We live and work in downtown Chicago, so I think I can speak with some authority re: public safety in Chicago’s downtown and Hyde Park areas. Don’t bash posters noting crime stats and safety problems. The personal safety issue is very real in Hyde Park, and UC students and administration are aware of risks. Muggings, theft, and burglaries (private homes) are commonplace despite strong private police presence. UC has its own police force, which helps, but Hyde Park adjoins two very poor high-crime areas to the south and west (Lake Michigan to east, and Kenwood to north). Chicago’s police patrol force is significantly under-staffed. Crime is under-reported by Chicago Police administration, and CPD police presence is mainly after-the-fact report filing. (Read up on “Second City Cop” blog-site) It’s not as bad as the 70s, but with the recession, it seems that Chicago’s crime stats are rising and that people need to be vigilant again.</p>
<p>I heard that a student was mugged inside the quad just a couple of days ago. I thought quad was generally a safe area. Anyone from uchicago care to comment?</p>
<p>Everyone was pretty shocked at the mugging that happened on the quad. In my four years here, this is the first time I’ve heard of such a thing that wasn’t at an absurdly late hour when a student was walking alone. They now have cops on foot patrolling the quad all day.</p>
<p>Hi there. I stumbled by this thread and found it interesting because we hear many of the same concerns from prospective students at University of Maryland-College Park.</p>
<p>This year alone there have been 5-6 muggings, including one on our campus “quad”. </p>
<p>Maryland is a suburban school but less than 10 miles from NE Washington, DC (not the best quadrant of the city) and along the green metrorail line. </p>
<p>I think an earlier poster nailed it. Muggings are more common in urban areas or areas adjacent to urban zones. People get mugged in bad areas, and in “nice” areas. Yesterday, my friend was robbed in Dupont Circle, one of D.C.'s ritziest and most well-traveled neighborhoods. Over the summer, I was mugged in the most touristy part of Baltimore. My mom had her purse stolen on the El in downtown Chicago.</p>
<p>Muggings may not be uncommon, but tragedies are few and far between when it comes to students living in urban areas. I think it’s more dangerous to commute via car to a suburban uni than live in Hyde Park as a UofC student, most likely. And quite frankly, I take my chances every day when I step out of the front door of my house, and I’d take my chances everywhere from D.C. to Baltimore to Chicago to Lima rather than spend my life in a cornfield. But that’s just me.</p>
<p>So rather than try to say “oh, it’s not that bad” I think acknowledging that it’s possible your child may get mugged once in four years if he/she is an adventurous spirit is much more healthy. But, don’t resist, don’t carry a lot of cash/SS#/or bank account #s on you, and more often than not it won’t be the end of the world.</p>
<p>I’d also like to point out that a number of our students died this year or suffed critical injuries…what were they due to? Motor vehicle or bike accidents. Number of students that died or suffered critical injuries from muggings or taking a bus or public transport? Zero.</p>
<p>When you pay $50k+ per yr you expect at least the innermost sanctum to be safe. Police could patrol all day but if they are not around during late evening hours when students are returning from classes then it is not a safe environment.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what you mean? The quad is now patrolled from 7AM to 3AM every day. We’re a residential campus; our police force is always patrolling, even at night.</p>
<p>To update… there have been a dozen or so muggings this school year alone. I have lost exact count, at least one was right on the main quads. Here are two that happened last night. One was near Harper library… which is really on campus, IMO.
9:20 p.m., Thursday, November 11 on University Avenue between 60th and 61st Street A University student walking on the sidewalk with two friends was approached by 6 or 7 unknown males. One of the males struck the victim on the head with his fist and took his cell phone from his hand. The suspect and his companions fled on foot. The victim declined medical attention.</p>
<p>9:30 p.m., Thursday, November 11 On the Midway Plaisance near Harper Library A University student crossing the Midway Plaisance saw three males as he neared the Linne statue. A fourth person jumped from the bushes and struck him with an unknown object knocking the victim unconscious. When the victim regained consciousness, he sought help and was transported to the Mitchell Emergency room for treatment.</p>
<p>The thing is… in a 7 person mugging, there’s almost no way to fight your way out or flee. In a situation like that, you’re in serious trouble.</p>
<p>And this is why the University is renovating all the Midway crossings for better lighting and safety. [Midway</a> construction paves the way for a more pleasantcrossing - The Chicago Maroon](<a href=“Rambling and flat, this family turmoil doesn’t amount to a handful of cherries – Chicago Maroon”>Rambling and flat, this family turmoil doesn’t amount to a handful of cherries – Chicago Maroon)</p>
<p>One of the things admissions talked up to us was SafeRide. You need to be aware that there seems to be serious problems with this service. See [Welcome</a> to Facebook](<a href=“Facebook - log in or sign up”>Facebook - log in or sign up)</p>
<p>Dear Friends,</p>
<p>In light of the recent scary emails about attacks, and the fact that many of us have experienced SafeRide as an unreliable service, WILL YOU JOIN US IN REACHING OUT TO UCHICAGO’S TRANSPORTATION SERVICE? The more of us who participate, the more likely we are to see a favorable change.</p>
<p>Below is the email I sent; feel free to add in your own experience, or just send a short and sweet one with the request at the end.
…
Forward this to your fellow students!!</p>
<hr>
<p>SEND TO: <a href=“mailto:bus@uchicago.edu”>bus@uchicago.edu</a>; <a href=“mailto:mclynch@uchicago.edu”>mclynch@uchicago.edu</a></p>
<p>Subject: SafeRide Petition</p>
<hr>
<p>Marlon C. Lynch
Associate Vice President for Safety & Security and Chief of Police</p>
<p>Dear Mr. Lynch:</p>
<p>I am writing to you as a student at University of Chicago concerned for my safety. Many of my friends and I have experienced concerns with SafeRide, and in light of the recent security alerts about attacks on and near campus, I am writing to express this concern. </p>
<p>[YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE CAN GO BELOW, IF YOUD LIKE. IF NOT, YOU CAN DELETE MINE AND JUST INCLUDE THE ABOVE AND THE END!]</p>
<p>Here are the incidents I have personally experienced:</p>
<p>On one occasion in late September, my roommate and I called SafeRide from Crerar Library and were told that we should leave immediately, as the shuttle would be arriving very soon. After waiting 15 minutes, we called again and were told to wait, as it was very close. After waiting a total of 25+ minutes, we gave up and walked.</p>
<p>On another occasion in late October, I called SafeRide to pick up a friend from my home at 4am for a drop-off across Hyde Park (from 54th Street to 60th Street); however, the phone rang continuously without any response. I called again, only to reach a voicemail that said to call during operating hours, before 6am (my call was obviously being made during operating hours); the next time I called, someone answered with Please hold; however, no one returned to the phone for 4+ minutes, at which point I hung up. </p>
<p>In addition, many of my friends told me that SafeRide either takes over 30 minutes to arrive, doesnt show at all, or that no one even picks up the phone when they attempt to call them. This contributes to my hesitance to call SafeRide at all, as I know I can expect extreme delays and a likelihood that I will end up standing on a dark corner waiting for the SafeRide itself; because of this expectation, I often just hold onto my mace (obviously insufficient against an attack by 7 people, as recently occurred) and walk by myself.</p>
<p>[BE SURE TO INCLUDE THIS PART BELOW!]</p>
<p>I am sure you can appreciate that, as a student, I am concerned that this service, paid for with our student fees, does not sufficiently address our very serious safety concerns. Therefore, I write to request that more dispatchers, drivers, and SafeRide shuttles be added to the service so that all students can expect:</p>
<ol>
<li>To have any call made during SafeRides operating hours answered within one minute, and</li>
<li>To have SafeRide arrive when promised by the dispatcher.</li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>(students name)</p>
<p>^This is foul.</p>
<p>Safe ride isn’t meant to be your personal taxi service. It’s only for pressing situations - say you have to cross HP at 3am and don’t want to walk alone, or you’re travelling when the shuttles have stopped running…or maybe in situations where safe ride is the only way to get from point A to point B, etc.
The south/central/east/north route should be your primary mode of transportation at night - I’ve been here 3 years and the routes have taken me anywhere and everywhere I’ve needed to go.
If people would stop calling safe ride to take them from south to the reg, it would be a much better service. Just familiarize yourself with the maps the transportation department hands out. OR, check out this awesome feature that just rolled out this year: [University</a> of Chicago - Transit Visualization System](<a href=“http://uchicago.transloc.com%5DUniversity”>http://uchicago.transloc.com) It shows you in real time EXACTLY where EVERY SINGLE route/CTA bus that runs through HP, EVER, is located!</p>
<p>I thought that email was written by some unfortunate first-year…but then I checked to see which program the student was in. LOLZ.</p>
<p>I had a friend that ended up having to walk from Broadview twice (about 1mile off campus) to main campus. Both times at about three in the morning, alone. Because saferide was to busy. On one occasion he called and got an answering machine, waited… called again then waited half an hour for it to come… gave up and walked. The next time he called, went outside and stood on the curb for 25min. Saferide didn’t even slow down it just sped by, with him yelling/waving/running. He gave up.</p>
<p>Is saferide reliable… NO.
It works when it works, but it isn’t reliable.</p>