Nestled in the 3rd Ward, the University of Houston has been tainted with the ominous reputation that its campus is teeming with crime — the reality is both surprising and solacing.
The spring semester midterms are quickly approaching, and students have already begun to savagely inhabit the library. A sea of students toting laptops, smartphones, tablets and e-readers; the campus is virtually a host to the parasite that is theft. While it remains in your and your belongings’ best interest to remain alert, those incessantly looking over their shoulder may be assuaged by the facts.
“A crime like a robbery can be very evocative because it’s a scary thing," said UH Police Department Chief of Staff Lieutenant Brett Collier, “but statistically speaking you’re not likely to ever be a victim of a robbery [on campus] or to really even know someone who has been.”
On a campus with a student and staff population of about 55,000 and a rough average of 10 robberies per year, your likelihood of being robbed is approximately a 1 in 5,500 chance, Collier said.
What is more probable is that your belongings will be stolen while left unattended during the day, Collier said. The common theft of neglected electronics, such as phones and laptops, are reported weekly and the costs of damages with these types of theft is much greater than those lost to a forceful robbery.
Yet the fear of being robbed is not uncommon among students and staff alike. Even with officers and security guards who can be found patrolling the entirety of the campus (whether they are in a car, golf cart, or on foot or bike).
UH Crime Prevention Coordinator Sergeant Dina Padovan urges students, no matter the odds, to take preventative measures and know their options.
“First we try to encourage people to put our number into their cellphone,” Padovan said. “That way, if a student needs us they can call us straight to our dispatch.”
Emergency callbox phones are located throughout the campus. When used, the police are notified immediately and are able to correctly identify their location. If a callbox isn’t convenient, and the dispatch number isn’t saved in your cellphone, Padovan encourages students to call 9-1-1.
The importance of knowing that crime does happen, however unlikely, is an important factor for safety.
“Be aware of your surroundings," Collier said. “That person won’t just appear – they have to approach you from somewhere.”
Preventative tactics can range anywhere from always walking in a group to simply making eye contact with individuals and appearing alert rather than casual.
“These aren’t career criminals,” Collier said. “They’re looking for something easy. If you have a phone in your hand, they’d rather pluck that than fight with a group or try to intimidate someone.”
Even if crime doesn’t directly happen to you, act as a concerned fellowship of students and report anything off-putting seen on campus.
“We encourage reporting anything suspicious,” Padovan said. These types of reports can stop crime before it happens. The police department will take the reported individuals’ names and information, and filter out people who shouldn’t be on campus.
Ultimately, the UH Police Department is still continuing the quest for greater safety.
“We just added five police officers, so we’re at 55 commissioned police and we are now going from 110 to 130 security officers,” Collier said.
Although the student body may band together for a collective sigh of relief, the tips can be used anywhere, not just on campus.
“We try to educate because students don’t stay on campus forever,” Padovan said. “We want these tips to be used here, but also to follow the students off campus as well.”
You heard it here first, Coogs. It's not that likely that you'll be affected, but try to prevent it anyway!
