After four reports of sexual assaults, multiple campus break-ins and a number of students hit by cars this year, Boston University’s police chief and dean of students last night attempted to assure the community that the campus is safe and announced similar town hall-style meetings will be held each month to address concerns.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m going at it blind,” said BU Police Department Chief Thomas Robbins at the School of Law Auditorium to a small audience. “We get the crime statistics, but I’d like to get a sense as a community.”
Robbins said spreading the word about personal safety is one of his priorities, though he said violent crime rates on campus are relatively low.
Since January, four sexual assaults were reported to the BUPD, all of which are under investigation. Robbins said the incidents are unrelated.
“You have to be aware of where you are,” Robbins said. “The common sense answer is to use the Escort [Security] Service, have 9-1-1 on your cellphone, understand where you’re going when you’re leaving, have a plan to get back and don’t leave anyone behind.”
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said the administration is trying to help prevent alcohol-related assaults.
“We’ve been working with bar and tavern owners in the Brookline and Allston area to be on the lookout for predatory behavior,” he said.
The BUPD is taking steps to fight larceny by setting up sting operations, in which laptops and iPods are left unattended near plainclothes officers, Robbins said.
The operations are meant to identify “hot spots” for thefts, such as the George Sherman Union and offices. Robbins said the BUPD has caught one thief, but office thefts seem to be committed by professional thieves.
Bike thefts are also on the rise, especially in the BU Medical Campus, where thefts have been so widespread that the department created a bike cage, Robbins said.
Addressing the number of bikers and pedestrians hit by cars on Commonwealth Avenue, Robbins said students must pay greater attention and be aware of their surroundings before crossing streets.
“It’s a given that this isn’t the best environment to have students crossing back and forth,” he said. “People just don’t pay attention.”
Robbins and Elmore said they hope to address more issues at another meeting, set for Dec. 4. BUPD has also re-launched its website, and the university is looking into making podcasts about safety.
“I think it’s really good that we’re doing these things,” said Student Union Secretary Elena Quattrone, a Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences senior who attended the meeting. “It makes it seem like, ‘BUPD, you’re not our enemy.'”
