While the e-mail sent by Tufts' public safety department last Friday alerting the students of an armed robbery may have startled students, recent studies show that campus crime across the nation has decreased over the past decade.
A study released last month by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Education showed that because most college campuses have switched to sworn police officers rather than simply employing security guards, the crime rate on campuses across the country decreased by nine percent between the 1994-1995 and 2004-2005 academic years. And in the same period, the rate of theft on campuses decreased by 30 percent.
In his 35 years with the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD), Sergeant Robert McCarthy said that the same types of occasional incidents have always caused anxiety.
"Safety is always a concern among students, but it is the same issues year in and year out that worry them," he said.
To minimize student anxiety, TUPD has been employing sworn police officers for over 30 years.
"Our officers attend the full-time Police Academy," McCarthy said. "It's a 23-week course that involves everything from classroom training dealing with legal updates and basic laws to physical training, defensive tactics, firearms practice and defensive driving."
In addition to the initial training an officer must undergo, Tufts officers must attend in-service training throughout the year in order to keep their skills and abilities sharp.
The Department of Public and Environmental Safety also works to keep the students as safe as possible.
Senior Director of Public Safety John King said that a student survey is an important indicator of how students feel and what can be done to change those feelings, if necessary.
"Every three years [the Department of Public Safety] sends out a survey that asks about the students' perception of safety and professionalism of our police staff," he said. "We have added more lighting around campus, based on students' perspective on where they don't feel as safe or aware."
Since King came to Tufts 18 years ago, 75 blue-light phones have been added on campus, bringing the total number to 100.
King said he credits the safety of Tufts to the strong relationship with the Medford and Somerville Police Departments as well as the students' awareness of what can happen around them.
"We have one of the best relationships with the police in the surrounding communities of Medford and Somerville," he said. "Also, the community here is very aware of the surroundings; they know what to do when something goes wrong."
This year, the public-safety survey resulted in 95 percent of students reporting that they felt either "safe" or "very safe," a statistic that King said was impressive.
"It means a lot that the students feel this way," King said. "[The students] understand what services are in place to keep them safe."
Despite the survey's results, students interviewed had mixed feelings about safety on campus, especially in light of the recent incidents. Freshman Dan Slate said that his proximity to the crimes worries him.
"I live in Lewis, where all the muggings take place, so no, I don't think Tufts is that safe," Slate said. "On Thursday, I was sitting in my room doing homework when that robbery occurred. If I had gone outside then, it could have been me."
Freshman Colin Patterson said he has never worried about his safety.
"I think Tufts is safe; I've never had any bad experiences or felt threatened walking around in the middle of the night," he said. "I think the police are a strong presence and the reason for my safety, you can see them driving around all the time."
Others think that the police could be a stronger presence on the outskirts of campus - where crimes are more likely to happen.
"At 2 in the morning I still feel safe walking around through campus, but its different on the edges," freshman Fallilat Akinleye said.
Freshman Leticia Cubias agreed that police should concentrate on more dangerous areas. "[The police] should patrol where things are going to happen, like on the outskirts. Nothing is going to happen outside Tisch [library], yet I always see them driving by there," she said.
Slate said that even increasing the police presence for a short period would make a difference in increasing his sense of safety.
"All they have to do is step-up patrol for a week and people will see them and not be as likely to commit a crime because they won't know when the police will be coming around next," he said.
