The Metropolitan area surrounding Saint Louis University is not known for its safety. Therefore, SLU has been deemed a high-risk college community.
This perception makes SLU out to be one of the most dangerous colleges in the country. Yet when SLU’s crime rate for 1999 is compared with the University of Missouri-Saint Louis and Washington University, SLU had the lowest crime rate. SLU’s total crime rate was 22 incidents. This crime rate is eight times lower that that of UMSL, which had 168 total. Wash U.’s crime rate of 43 incidents is double that of SLU’s.
“Our crime stats show how safe SLU is compared to the other colleges,” said Jack Titone, director the Department of Public Safety.
Freshman Ann Padberg said, “I usually feel safe here at SLU, but sometimes on the edge of campus I don’t always feel safe, especially at the Metrolink Station.”
“I think safety here at SLU is excellent. Anywhere I go, I see at least two or three DPS officers,” said freshman Geoff Wilson.
According to DPS, students that steal from other students is the most frequent and common type of crime committed on SLU’s campus.
One freshman living in DeMattias Hall left his door unlocked so his roommates could get in. When he woke, he discovered that his credit card and driver’s license were missing. When he called the credit card company to report the card being stolen, more than $400 had been charged.
Titone stressed that students should lock their doors before they go anywhere.
Crime at SLU has dropped in the past 10 years. At this time last year there were 12 reported crimes, and so far this year there are only are only eight reported crimes. Thus the crime rate has decreased 40 percent since 2000.
Titone believes that one of the factors in this reduction of crime is that more students are getting involved and wanting to protect themselves, others and University property. Students are also reporting any suspicious activity.
SLU’s total crime rate rose in 2000 because of amendments to the Students Right to Know and Campus Security Act (Clery Act). Now the University must also report crimes that happen adjacent to property owned by the University whereas before they only had to report crimes that happened on University property.
In the last two years, DPS has implemented two services, one a safety precaution, adding blue light emergency phones in efforts to continue to improve campus safety. DPS has also applied for several grants to continue to improve the safety of students here on campus.
In 1999, DPS implemented an emergency taxicab service for students who are away from the University.
This came about after an incident involving a student who missed the last shuttle from Cahokia, Ill. to the Frost Campus. The student decided to walk through East St. Louis to the MetroLink station and was robbed. Titone decided that another student should never be put in this kind of danger again thus developing the taxicab service.
Also in 1999, after six months of negotiation with Bi-state, DPS installed an escort phone on the platform of the Grand Boulevard station.
According to DPS, these two initiatives will ensure the safety of members of the University community who use MetroLink for transportation and should help students who become stranded in the St. Louis area.
In the fall of 2000, DPS issued whistles to all incoming freshmen. The whistles are to be used in emergencies only and students will be fined $100 if they use the whistle and there is no emergency.
In addition, DPS has also applied for a grant to combat crimes against women. If DPS receives this grant, they plan on putting up more lights and blue light emergency phones around campus. This grant would also be used to provide more presentations dealing with assault on women.
Two years ago DPS received a C.O.P.S. grant. This grant was used to hire four more officers, two especially assigned to the C.O.P.S. program. The program is a way of getting the students involved in solving problems together by scanning, analyzing and coming up with a solution. C.O.P.S. also makes presentations to students during orientation.
According to DPS, the department is doing everything possible to make the campus safe and it always looking towards the future.
“I believe SLU is a very safe campus. We are located a metropolitan area in the middle of a city. Use some common sense-make sure that you are always in a group, nobody should ever be anywhere alone,” said Titone.
