Police say crime isn’t part of a trend but recommend caution regardless
The recent report of an attempted kidnapping of a young woman on Pearl Street has local law enforcement reminding students about the importance of safety awareness.
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The attempted kidnapping took place at 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 in the parking lot at 2915 Pearl St. According to the Boulder Police Department, a 20-year-old woman reported that she was walking on the south side of the Barnes & Noble bookstore at that location when a vehicle pulled into the parking lot and stopped. A man got out of the vehicle and approached her while blocking her path. The man told her to “come here” and then grabbed for her. The woman told police she broke free from his grasp and ran away. She provided the police with composite information of the suspect.
“Fortunately, we haven’t seen any kind of pattern with this type of activity,” said Julie Brooks, Boulder police spokeswoman. “But we still want women to be aware of the signs, their surroundings, the little things that can keep them safe.”
And the little things can indeed be vital to a young woman’s safety. There have been 267 reported incidents of crime within the CU Police Department’s jurisdiction on or around the CU campus since Aug. 23, according to their crime map.
“It’s really important for students to know the preventative measures of personal crime,” said Tim McGraw, CU Police Department commander. “But it’s equally important to know that most preventative measures can also be overcome by the criminals.”
Some of the measures McGraw recommends are being aware of your surroundings and knowing where you’re going, as well as using the safety options available from the CUPD.
“Taking a buddy with you is always a good idea,” said McGraw. “And maintaining cognizance with one another is an excellent way to ensure safety within your group.”
The CUPD has a myriad of safety resources listed on their Web page, as well as a list of preparatory information should a student need it. Keeping CU safe is their primary goal.
When asked if she felt safe while on the CU campus, Katie Brown, a senior astronomy major, said she’s never had a problem.
“Even when I was late leaving campus, I just had someone walk me to my car, and I felt totally safe,” Brown said.
But other students are less confident in their safety while on campus. Liz Schweigert, a graduate sociology student, is one of them.
“On a scale of one to ten with ten being the safest, I’d rate CU a six,” Schweigert said. “It’s not a very well-lit campus.”
According to McGraw, about 50 percent of the crimes on the CU campus are committed by individuals who have no affiliation with the university.
“I can’t stress enough how important it is to use the police,” McGraw said. “We’d much rather be called and not needed than needed and not called.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Tim McAvoy at tim.mcavoy@thecampuspress.com.
