UW police to increase patrols in wake of increased violence
»Play Video
SEATTLE -- Increased violence around the University of Washington has students on edge and now campus police are trying to calm nerves by adding more officers on patrol.
An additional 3-5 officers will patrol in Greek Row and in west campus, but ultimately it will depend on how busy the areas are and where there's a need for more police.
At this point, police say the crimes are random and there's no pattern -- some have included robberies where victims lost backpacks or cell phones. Police hope the additional officers will increase visibility and help deter crime.
"Anytime you have a community that has expressed some concerns about a number of incidents that have occurred recently you want to respond to needs of community," said Cmdr. Steve Rittereiser with University of Washington police. "And certainly we feel we're doing that that by adding patrol officers. We're certainly going to be highly visible."
Police want to remind students to be more aware of their surroundings, travel in well-lit areas, don't walk with earphones in, and register bikes and electronics on campus.
An additional 3-5 officers will patrol in Greek Row and in west campus, but ultimately it will depend on how busy the areas are and where there's a need for more police.
At this point, police say the crimes are random and there's no pattern -- some have included robberies where victims lost backpacks or cell phones. Police hope the additional officers will increase visibility and help deter crime.
"Anytime you have a community that has expressed some concerns about a number of incidents that have occurred recently you want to respond to needs of community," said Cmdr. Steve Rittereiser with University of Washington police. "And certainly we feel we're doing that that by adding patrol officers. We're certainly going to be highly visible."
Police want to remind students to be more aware of their surroundings, travel in well-lit areas, don't walk with earphones in, and register bikes and electronics on campus.
They need to just get some armed drones. Works great for Obama.
Personal awareness and applying the UW Alert information is something all the residents north of the campus should be doing. How safe are THEY anywhere based on their own street smarts? Don't allow strangers into parties and don't buy drugs in the U District and there will be fewer thugs coming into the area. Hold bad landlords accountable as they rent to some of the trouble makers or those who know them.Â
Â
I can just here Greek system parents screaming about the police while their college age kids walk around with ear phones on and staring at their phones or wandering home drunk at 2:30 in the morning.Â
Â
"Anytime you have a community that has expressed some concerns about a number of incidents that have occurred recently you want to respond to needs of community," said Cmdr. Steve Rittereiser with University of Washington police.
Â
That is a really strange statement to me. Â It makes it sound as though the only reason they're doing this is to appease the community. Â The fact is, they should have been doing this - based upon their own appraisals of the increasing number of incidents - years ago. Â They have very little presence on and around campus, and the occurrences of thefts, confrontations, assaults, etc. have skyrocketed; for every one that makes the news, there are several more that no one hears about unless they're in the UW loop. Â
 @belsnickles My community group works with them all the time, I see them every day or evening I am out. Your claims don't match the facts on the ground.Â
 @Citizen#3457899654  @belsnickles I agree about the lack of presence. Â
Â
I am surprised that a Community Service Officer (CSO) program has not been established at UW.  CSOs (most likely student-trained personnel) have the ability to directly communicate with the dispatcher with one click of a button on a radio.  Students (as asked by UWPD to be "vigilant") must dial 9-1-1 (three clicks) and wait for their call to be picked up.  Few weeks ago, I saw a mentally ill individual walk through Suzzallo without being stopped.  If a CSO was patrolling the Library, they would have called for help much sooner than a student or staff member...
Â
UW-Seattle does have "security guards."  But this past week, I saw one driving an "unmarked" car with only "University of Washington" logo on it.  UWPD somehow believes that a guy standing around with only a reflective vest on over his street clothes would deter criminals.  And, the security guard was staring off into space when I walked past him. -_-
 @Citizen#3457899654 Actually, yes, they do.  I'm on campus often.  My husband teaches there and my kid went there until a year ago.  Rarely see them.
Last weekend my sons housemates (UW students) were met by a fine young gentleman at the top of the stairs, between 22 Ave NE and 21 Ave NE (5200 block). He was sporting a mask and displayed a handgun, so they immediately ran away and contacted the police via 911.
Â
I scanned the UW news, campus alerts, and SPD Blotter reports, but I never saw it mentioned anywhere- which makes me wonder how much crime/violence in the University District never gets publicized
 @ltfd from your description, it appears to be an attempted robbery at best. It was a non injury incident not exactly newsworthy in a metro area with an estimated population of 3,500,026, which is more than half of Washington's population as of 2012, making it the 15th largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States.
 @BuddyHolly  @ltfd But it should have been worthy of a intra-campus alert.
The students should just start carrying guns on campus as long as they're old enough. It's fully legal. When the cops are minutes away, seconds matter.Â
 @NW-Economist Having ridden with them there have been many cases where they actually are seconds away. No, we do not need students all carrying guns.Â
 @Citizen#3457899654 many cases huh?
Â
every case? if not then they should exercise their rights.Â
 @tampadawg  @Citizen#3457899654 I lived in the UW district for just a couple  years on 11th ave NE, just a couple blocks away from campus, and I was mugged twice, shot at once, had homeless people harass me constantly and my wife was nearly attacked by a gang of 4 men. I think that's VERY dangerous.Â
 @NW-Economist  @Citizen#3457899654 UW is not a VERY dangerous place--I've lived in places like Detroit and Chicago--those places can be VERY dangerous, but the UW is NOT. Â
 @Citizen#3457899654  @NW-Economist Yeah, and I hope I never use the fire extinquisher I keep in my house but you're never going to get me to get rid of it.
Â
It's their right to carry a firearm and the U district is a VERY dangerous place. If they are of age and legally eligible to carry a firearm then they should do that. Others' comfort or political leanings that may be against it should not inhibit this. The last time I checked we didn't limit civil rights based on what other people wanted, or else Jim Crow laws would still be in place all over the south.Â
 @NW-Economist You have it backwards. It isn't about "exercising their rights", its about the impact of the responsibility when you introduce a gun into any situation. The basis of personal safety is what you do inside your head for almost all of it. Even a responsible, pro gun firearms instructor will tell you the first goal is to not ever have to use a gun. Then they tell you about the legal ramifications potentially involved.Â
 @NW-Economist it only takes a second for a gun carrying student to misread a situation and ruin their life. there are no do-overs
 @BuddyHolly Can't you say that about anyone?
Â
Here's something for you, it only takes a second for some thug to kill an innocent student.Â
 @sabbametta  @BuddyHolly Wow, you are ignorant, I was using those other cities of examples of places that RESTRICT GUNs. As far as permits, if a lot of people have the,, then after a while the criminals start getting the message or they start disappearing. Either way problem solved. By the way, you may want to educate yourself, Open Carry is legal in washington, and it's a great deterrent.  http://www.opencarry.org/?page_id=312
 @NW-Economist  @BuddyHolly And, how is a concealed weapon act as a deterrent again?  So, I am guessing you want to legality carrying weapons out in the open?  If it is a concealed weapon, the robber will still strike.  That is not deterrent. Â
Â
And, have you actually thought of "how to rob someone?" Â You just kick them down, shoot them and take the money. Â Easy. Â So again, how would allowing students carrying a concealed weapons on/off campus act as a deterrent? Â
 @NW-Economist  @BuddyHolly ...Chicago has one of the highest homicide rates in the nation. -.-
 @sabbametta  @BuddyHolly If everyone or most people carry then it serves not only as a life-saving response, but also as a DETERRENT. You may want to compare crime rates of areas with high amounts of weapons permits vs places like Chicago, DC, New York, etc.Â
 @NW-Economist  @BuddyHolly Here is one for you:  If you are ambushed, how fast can you draw your gun to protect yourself?
Â
It takes about three second to draw and fire your gun unless you are already holding the gun. Â It takes about one second for a robber to fire a bullet. Â
Â
Then, would giving a gun to a student help him/her protect their life?
 @NW-Economist I had a conversation last year with the UW Chief of Police asking why students who had CPLs couldn't carry on campus. He explained to me how safe the school was, how well trained his officers were, and how they could be anywhere on campus in a short period of time so the students had no need to carry their own weapons. The hypocrisy of him telling me this with a 9mm strapped to his waist was evidently lost on him!Â
 @VikingMom  @NW-Economist Read state law. It is there for a reason and I know the Chief pretty well. There are tons of sound reasons (aside from state law) why most people do not want guns all over a campus and he is no hypocrite. A lot of people put in a lot of work both on the police side and community side. The perception of crime in this neighborhood of 30,000 residents and the realities of crime in the neighborhood are two different things.
Â
By the way UWPD is a fully accredited police department with the authority to carry weapons like any other actual police department. Having had to deal with a situation like the man who committed suicide with a shotgun outside the UW Medical Center they deal with more than people's opinions online. I've seen them talk mentally ill people who were acting out off the campus without having to put a hand on them. A lot of work gets done.Â
 @NW-Economist Unfortunately, the UW, like most schools, is designated as a "gun-free" zone! Of course it doesn't matter one bit to the armed thugs who are doing these robberies!  That's why so many mass shootings take place on schools-they know there isn;t anyone who can shoot back!
 @VikingMom  @NW-Economist UW is not a gun free zone, people open carry there all the time.
Â
http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?111002-Any-experience-OC-in-University-District-or-International-District&p=1889515#post1889515
 @NW-Economist  @sabbametta  @VikingMom Yeah, that is what I said: "Almost none of them have gone through full-time job experience and/or experienced different cultures and/or been out of this country."
Â
Maturity links with experience. Â But I still think it has a lot to do with age. Â A full-time solider or municipal police officer (going into both professions right out of high school) has "experience." Â But does a 19 year old police officer know what do to with the rage pent up inside? Â Not really,as we have seen with the increase of police brutality in the past twenty years throughout America...
 @sabbametta  @VikingMom The WAC that makes it a gun free zone is potentially unenforceable and possibly illegal due to the RCWs. Click on that link I posted and read about it.
Â
As for the rest of your crap that's absurd, it can apply anywhere to anyone upset about anything. Maturity is not a function of age, it is a function of experience.Â
 @NW-Economist  @VikingMom U-Dub is a gun free zone.  Here: http://www.washington.edu/admin/police/prevention/weapons.htmlÂ
Â
The reason for this is that undergraduates (and some graduate students) are most likely immature individuals.  I think you are forgetting that 1/4 of the U-Dub population are made up of kids between 17-20, right out of high school. Almost none of them have gone through full-time job experience and/or experienced different cultures and/or been out of this country.
Â
If they receive a F on an assignment/exam or view someone is mistreating them (aka, high school drama), the undergrad will have that option (if allowed a gun) to violently take out their aggression against a TA or professor.  Then, the Seattle campus will be known for a "mass shooting."  Not cool...
Â
So, UW must be a gun-free zone.Â
 @VikingMom http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?104846-OC-and-or-CC-on-the-WWU-Campus&highlight=university