University of Minnesota officials spent $4 million dollars on crime prevention and improved security after 26 incidents of robbery or mugging occurred last spring near the West Bank campus in Minneapolis.

The U of M placed 16 cameras on busier streets and installed more streetlights around campus. Safety escort systems are available to students at all times, and the U of M hired more campus police officers, including three full-time patrol officers.

Tim Busse, communications director of University Services at the U of M, said students can expect stricter access in all U of M buildings this year.

Busse also said university officials increased safety discussions dramatically on campus this fall. The public safety department’s SAFE U program now provides communication with students and their parents, along with useful tips about staying safe around campus.

“SAFE U is our umbrella program. We made it a huge point of emphasis throughout welcome week,” Busse said. “The program discussions vary from individual safety tips to alcohol abuse on campus.”

Tanner Marcotte, a senior at the U of M, said the incidents started to concern the student body.

“It was scary. It seemed like every weekend I got an alert on my phone letting us know that another robbery or mugging took place on campus,” Marcotte said.

St. Thomas senior Nicole Wichmann said that even though she doesn’t attend the U of M, security there still affects St. Thomas students.

“I have a ton of friends over there, and they were always telling me of the robberies and muggings,” Wichmann said. “We definitely spent more time at St. Thomas as the year progressed.”

Busse said a big-city campus can be more difficult to manage. TCF Bank Stadium is now home for the Minnesota Vikings for the next two seasons, and with the Green Line light rail route making several stops across the university, plenty of new faces will appear on campus.

“Similar to St. Thomas, this is an urban campus. We’re not in Collegeville or St. Peter,” Busse said. “There are great responsibilities that come with our campus, and that is our job. We already see an estimated 80,000 people each day, so the new traffic won’t be too much to handle. We took action and are ready for a great year.”

In the past two weeks, one incident – an attempted armed robbery – had been reported to U of M public safety on Sept. 4. The victim was unharmed.

St. Thomas also makes summer safety adjustments

Dan Meuwissen, director of Public Safety at St. Thomas, said changes at the U of M do not directly affect the St. Thomas campus, but they are important to the community.

“The increased security at the University of Minnesota is extremely important to us. We are always following what other public safety departments are doing in the Twin Cities area to ensure we are on task,” Meuwissen said.

According to Meuwissen, St. Thomas Public Safety is well-staffed and recently updated its camera systems in newer buildings. He said the university invested a lot of money in the department over the summer.

“St. Thomas has been extremely supportive of everything we want to accomplish as a Public Safety department,” Meuwissen said.

Travis Swan can be reached at swan9954@stthomas.edu.