With the weekend shooting of a student fresh on their minds, student groups and university officials have leapt into action to address the issue of safety in the Georgetown neighborhood.
Students collected safety proposals as well as student signatures as early as Tuesday night in a meeting publicized by word of mouth, personal emails and club servers.
“It’s about taking action, not protesting the University,” one student who attended the meeting said. “It’s about working with them. The authority [DPS] has the means to do something.”
Approximately 50 students proposed ideas such as increasing Department of Public Safety patrols, advertising SafeRides more extensively and increasing the lighting in areas near campus. One student recommended placing a patrol at every second or third street corner around campus until daylight hours lengthen again. The signatures and suggestions were given to the Board of Student Security for consideration.
University officials, in turn, held a town hall meeting in Sellinger Lounge Wednesday to address community concerns. A crowd of students from both graduate and undergraduate programs joined neighborhood community leaders and faculty members to voice their complaints and questions to Dave Morrell, university vice president for safety, Darryl Harrison, the director of Public Safety and a number of other officials from the Georgetown area.
Harrison acknowledged student concerns that the number of assaults has been steadily rising. Including this weekend’s shooting, there have been four handgun incidents, he said.
“We met today with the MPD commander of the Second Police District, Robert Contee, and received a commitment for a refocusing and balancing of their enforcement strategies to issues in our East Campus area,” he said, referring to the parts of campus outside the Healy Gates.
The Metropolitan Police Department would not release specific numbers of patrols. But, according to Morrell, at least 75 percent of their forces currently patrolling Burleith and the area between 35 and 37 St. will expand their range to as far as Wisconsin Ave. and M St., the area where many of the crimes have taken place.
“We speculate criminals are parking in corners, watching flow of traffic for a few days. If you see anyone suspicious, relay the information to DPS and MPD,” Harrison said.
DPS provides escort to students off campus even after SafeRides shuttles and Alpha Phi Omega van escort stop running.
Not all students were convinced by the presentation. Several, including one who was stabbed last year, commented that, while the quality of SafeRides has improved over the years, so has the escalation of violent crimes. Graduate and medical students voiced their fears of walking home and the hospital’s desire to expand DPS jurisdiction beyond campus limits. A SafeRides student driver pointed out difficulties he has had with equipment and coordination, problems that led to the creation of the new SafeRides shuttle loops in Burleith and West Georgetown, Morrell said.
Neighborhood residents voiced solidarity with university students in addressing safety.
“This is not just a university issue, or a community issue,” Ed Solomon, chair of the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission, said. “In spite of what you may have heard or read in student newspapers, the community wants students to be safe.”
Much discussion centered on how MPD balances stopping crime and “addressing the quality of life,” understood by some students to mean breaking up parties. Some students complained that the community opposed the use of a siren-like light on SafeRides shuttle, which they said helped ensure student safety, and that MPD seems to be unconcerned with patrolling against crime.
Solomon, in turn, said that students are unaware of undercover officers’ presence in the area.
Harrison said he found student recommendations extremely helpful.
“We always take them into consideration,” Harrison said. “That’s what led to changes made this year.”
