Director of Off-Campus 安全 克里杰克逊 talks with two student leaders.
克里斯汀·博伊德
Sitting on a hill just a stone’s throw from downtown, 皇冠足球即时比分幅员辽阔，景色优美. And while it benefits from the city’s dynamic entertainment 和 cultural offerings, it shares in the realities that go with an urban location.
这就是 皇冠足球即时比分警察局 (UAPD)介入, not only providing law enforcement services on campus, but assisting the City of Akron Police Department with patrolling neighborhoods on the outer ring of campus. While large apartment complexes have sprung up over the past 10 years, a good percentage of 学生 live in individual rental homes located in the South of Exchange (SOE) neighborhood.
大流行期间, 当大多数学生搬回家, some l和lords began renting houses to non-学生 to keep the units occupied, 从而改变了社区的动态. 当社区发生变化时，经常会出现新的问题.
因此，UA总裁 Gary L. 米勒 雇佣了13年的UAPD老兵 克里杰克逊 作为首任董事 校外安全. 在这个位置, 杰克逊正在努力帮助建立伙伴关系, 与房东的沟通和联系, 学生, 阿克伦市警察局(APD), 当地企业和民选官员.
“Although we are responsible for safety on the UA campus, we also see adjacent neighborhoods in the City of Akron as part of our footprint,杰克逊说。. “Many of our 学生 live in off-campus rentals 和 we have to make sure they feel safe 和 secure there.”
闪耀着新鲜的光芒
这是这方面的首批项目之一, which involved updating lighting in the SOE neighborhood, is designed to help 学生 feel safer walking at night. The effort is a joint collaboration between the University, the City of Akron 和 FirstEnergy.
Another initiative came after the tragic loss of UA student Maya McFetridge to gun violence in September 2021. 总统米勒, in reiterating the University’s commitment to safety, doubled down on its efforts by working with the Ohio State Highway Patrol to provide additional patrols.
The University also reopened the Block by Block office on Exchange Street to provide more eyes 和 ears (和 student escort services), 为SOE地区雇佣了更多的警察, 和 worked with Summit County 和 the City of Akron to invest in a new camera system for that neighborhood.
“I am personally committed to doing whatever it takes to secure the safety of every person who comes to this university to learn, 工作或访问,米勒在皇冠官方APP下载演讲中说道. “There is nothing more important to me 和 this university community.”
斯蒂芬妮·尤哈斯领导着一个刑事司法班.
教授领导房地产项目
Students 和 faculty alike have joined in the effort. 斯蒂芬妮Yuhas, 执业律师和前地方法官, 担任执业副教授, 刑事司法皇冠官方APP下载. She’s now leading a group of five UA undergraduate 刑事司法皇冠官方APP下载 学生 in a special project to help Jackson identify nuisance properties in the SOE neighborhood that are causing safety issues.
妨害财产可能很吵, 被遗弃或被忽视的财产, 成为打斗或其他暴力的场所, or have alleged criminal activity taking place such as the sale or use of drugs 和 guns on the property.
Here’s how the project works: a nuisance property is identified, 学生 conduct a crime analysis on it which is then verified through public records, 和 a package of information is created 和 given to local authorities. 他们, 反过来, may issue a nuisance letter to the property owner who would be assessed the cost of police response if they are called to the property for certain kinds of activities.
这不仅节省了社区资金, but it also pressures the property owner to do a better job monitoring renters 和 activity on the property 和 incentivizes them to clean it up.
学生伸出援助之手
Angelena Dorbish 和 信仰福克斯 are among 学生 currently organizing a database in a way that some 50,000 Akron Police Department records can be sorted 和 understood. 其他参与这个项目的学生， 布莱登谢弗 和 凯拉Copiskey, are using public records to obtain additional information needed in generating a nuisance report. 所有人都说他们很珍惜这段经历.
Dorbish hopes to work with a police department 和 maybe even a federal agency after graduating. “I like the crime analysis part—和 this project is an amazing opportunity for me. 我甚至比我想象的更喜欢它.”
Another set of 学生 is working on a survey that will gauge perceptions of safety 和 how the University can improve it. Hanah拉姆齐 和 艾米丽斯达克 created questions for this survey after conducting a research review about perceptions of crime. Starkey will be conducting analysis of the data as part of her honor’s work associated with this class. 在调查数据出来之后, the reports will be presented to 总统米勒 和 his team.
改变世界
Yuhas realizes the importance of this work 和 hopes others do as well. “UA是社区的重要组成部分, 和 this program shows our 学生 that every decision has real-world impact.”
Fox loves the idea that her work might change the community, 和 she wants more 学生 to be aware of the project. She believes the campus survey will show 学生 that the University is taking their concerns seriously by asking for their feedback.
“I am thankful to be part of this project to learn about 和 apply research skills,” said Fox. “But ultimately we are all trying to make South of Exchange a better place to live.”
Both Jackson 和 Yuhas underst和 that their work won’t bring about an immediate fix. 但他们都致力于这项努力.
“我们希望在这个城市建立一个系统, community 和 University can work together in a cohesive way to address safety,杰克逊说. “By opening communication, we can work together to find solutions. 如果我们能做好这件事，对每个人都有好处.”