Although no crime was reported on the University of Memphis campus over the summer, four robberies in the immediate vicinity of the university occurred with in one month of each other.
Out of the robberies that occurred in all throughout the summer, only four were reported around the U of M’s campus between July 6 and Aug. 19 because of their close proximity.
On July 6, at 5:10 p.m. on Patterson street near Central avenue, a male on a bike robbed a man who was walking and was last seen on Central and Fenwick.
Personal items were taken from two women on Robert Everett Cove at 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 2.
On Echles street and Spottswood avenue Aug. 10, personal items were taken from a man and woman walking.
At 3596 Walker Avenue at an off campus apartment of the Park Avenue campus on Aug. 19, two men took personal items from a woman.
“Although the robberies all occurred within a month’s time, they do not appear to have been connected to one another,” Chief of U of M Police Bruce Harber said.
Handguns were reported following each robbery, however no one was harmed at either.
Each suspect reported in the robberies were black males ranging between the heights of 5’10 and 6’2 and between the ages of 17 and 29.
However, the robbery at the U of M’s Park Avenue campus was the first crime reported since 2002.
“Out of the four robberies, only two of the cases have been solved – the instances on July 6 and Aug. 19,” Director of Police operations Derek Myers said.
The U of M’s main campus has close to 40 safety phones that display a blue light and have a button available for students to press in order to call the U of M Police services in case of an emergency.
Even newer and more advanced additions to the phones have been built with cameras attached.
From sunset to sunrise, the Tiger Patrol Escort Program is in effect for students who feel it is too late or that it is not safe enough to travel alone at a certain hour.
“If there are student workers available they help, and if not, police escorts are always available for students whenever they need them,” Mark Farrar, a computer lab technician at the U of M, said.
Each escort has had a background check before getting accepted for the job.
In 2013, crimes that were reported near the U of M’s campus were down by 15 %.
The U of M police have useful tips to make sure that percentage gets even lower.
According to Myers, at night students should walk and park in well-lighted areas and report any suspicious activity immediately to Police Services at 901-678-4357. Also, students should display expensive items such as smart phones and pay attention to their surroundings and avoid distractions, such as cell phones and digital music players.
“We would like to encourage everyone to always use precaution wherever they are, especially at night,” Harber said. “Also, we encourage everyone to sign up for TigerText, one of our emergency notification systems, at tigertext.memphis.edu.”
