Blogging is not a crime, but the thousands of incidents that happen downtown in Binghamton are. As you might already know, Binghamton, NY isn’t necessarily the safest place. According to Neighborhood Scout, you have a 1 in 150 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime in Binghamton, as compared with a 1 in 254 chance in the whole state of New York. As we all head back to school in just a few weeks, it's important to be aware of what really goes on downtown and how to best prevent an incident from occurring.

While away at school, it’s easy to get caught up in a perfect, little college world where the largest crime that goes on is stealing cups for your pre-game from the dining hall. Living and being downtown, on the other hand, exposes you to a lot of the crime that already goes on there. The fact of the matter is that unless you live off-campus, the only time students are downtown is to go out at night. And being that most college kids drink when they go downtown, you become even more vulnerable to potential attackers.

Above is a crime map from the Binghamton Police Department showing aggregative assault--which is an assault that typically involves the use of a weapon or causes serious injuries to the victim. As you can see, the hot spots for aggregative assault tend to be around State Street, which is the central location of Binghamton University’s nightlife.

The intent of this article isn’t to scare you; it’s to encourage you to be safe while walking around, living, or going out at night in Binghamton. The majority of students have safe, happy, and fun experiences downtown, but there’s also the occasional student who has been in the wrong place at the wrong time. In order to do your best to avoid becoming the newest dot on the crime map, it's important to follow these few pieces of advice:

• Always walk in large groups. Attackers are more likely to approach you if you're alone or with just one other person, so it's important to grab your #squad before walking home from the bar.
• Stay in highly-populated, well-lit areas. You've seen the movies, haven't you? While hanging out downtown, make sure you stay on the more populated streets. Wandering down side streets while drunk is not the best time to try and figure out the back way to the Downtown Center.
• If you feel unsafe, speak to a cop. Even though the Binghamton cops who block off State Street are ridiculously good-looking and, therefore, fun to talk to, speak to them if you have any concerns about sketchy people in the area. For real, let them do their job to protect you (and maybe slip them your number).
  
• Catch a cab home if you don't feel safe walking. The $4 cab rides are a lot cheaper than the hospital bills (sorry, that one was a little morbid, but accurate).
• Don't black out. It's easy to lose your ID, footing, and dignity when you black out, and it's even easier to lose your friends. Losing your friends at the bar increases the likelihood that you'll soon be stumbling back to your house/apartment/dorm room alone.

All joking aside, following these tips will reduce your risk of becoming a victim. Don't be scared, but in reality, it's better to know too much about the area rather than not enough (if you didn't know, now you know). As we all travel back to the 607 within the next week, my two biggest pieces of advice for you are to be safe and have fun!