In his opening remarks at the Public Safety Forum, held on August 24th in Cowles Auditorium, Minneapolis’ Community Safety Commissioner Dr. Cedric Alexander made a promise to the students, faculty, and alumni of the University of Minnesota. “I am going to do everything I can and humanly possible, to make sure that this community, this university, which is very much a part of this community, that sits in the heart of this community, is going to be safe.” Dr. Alexander’s remarks came after President Joan Gabel’s opening remarks in which she highlighted some of the steps being taken to address the spike in crime at the University of Minnesota and its surrounding residential neighborhoods.

In her opening statement, President Gabel first highlighted the formation of the strategic safety advisory committee. The committee has established the Dinkytown Safety and Pedestrian Access Pilot Program, an initiative in which two streets in Dinkytown into pedestrian-only areas from Thursday evenings to Sunday mornings. Another notable addition to the campus safety plan is the integration of additional patrols in off-campus Minneapolis neighborhoods on weekend evenings. Hennepin County committed to providing two deputies for patrols in nearby off-campus neighborhoods, seven days a week from 4 pm to Midnight. UMPD also brings new technology- recently installing another mobile camera unit in Dinkytown outside of the Kollege Klub. The camera is monitored by the Campus Public Safety Emergency Communication Center; the center already maintains several other cameras as well. Another step made by the University to increase campus safety is the addition of more vehicles to the Gopher Chauffeur fleet. Gopher Chauffeur is a free ride service offered to all University students; students can request a ride and a driver will pick them up and drop them off safely at their location. 

Hiring efforts are underway as well, with 10 new community service offer positions and 2 safety-focused communications positions available. President Gabel highlighted efforts being made to ensure safe gameday conditions, saying “we are starting a phased approach to working further and more deeply with MPD, specifically for large events and specialized services, including contracting with off-duty MPD officers to provide security services during gopher football home games for the 2022 season”. It is undeniable that the University is working diligently to address the public safety concerns. Will statistics show that these efforts are worthwhile?

The 2021 Year End Comparison showed an unsettling upward trend of UM Campus Violent Crimes, with robberies increasing from 7 in 2018 to 12 in 2021. Auto thefts also increased drastically, going from 22 in 2018 to 43 in 2021. One would assume that after these safety measures were implemented, crime statistics would show a downturn in criminal behavior. Unfortunately, the UMN Department of Public Safety’s Daily Crime Log shows that there have been 42 auto thefts since June 16th, 2022. This alarming number of Auto Thefts shows that the University of Minnesota has a long way to go in its attempt to curb the crime that plagues this campus and its surrounding neighborhoods. Time will tell whether Dr. Alexander’s promise will come true, but for now, crime remains a major issue at the University of Minnesota.