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after a rash of campus-related crime this school year.

The U added three officers to its police ranks. It's also adding dozens of new security cameras, extending hours of shuttle bus services, and rolling out key-card access to all university buildings.

“We're focusing on education initiatives, improving our enforcement during those key weekend evening hours with the Minneapolis police department,” said Pam Wheelock, vice president for university services.

“We're also talking about making this a safer place by improving our lighting on campus, some of our surveillance cameras, and also revisiting how we keep our buildings safe and secure and appropriately open for the use of the university,” she added.

Wheelock spoke on Tuesday as she and the university’s police chief greeted students returning to campus for the first day of spring semester classes. President Eric Kaler is also planning a town hall style meeting with students to talk about safety issues at the U.

The U issued 17 crime alerts so far this year, as mandated by federal law. But both students and U official say they think the school remains a safe place to learn and work.

"Overall, this continues to be a very safe metropolitan area, and a very safe campus community," Wheelock added. "Overwhelmingly, we are seeing continued results in reducing the crime rates, and where we have had incidents of robberies, 80 to 90 percent of them have been off campus."

Officials say the most important thing is for students to use common sense and avoid situations where they might be vulnerable to crimes.

Note: Here's more detail from the U's announcement (link above) regarding its main safety initiatives:

Education News

On Campus Blog

Alex Friedrich

Author

MPR News’ Tim Nelson reports: The University of Minnesota is stepping up security after a rash of campus-related crime this school year. The U added three officers to its police ranks. It’s also adding dozens of new security cameras, extending hours of shuttle bus services, and rolling out key-card access to all university buildings. “We’re 

MPR News’ Tim Nelson reports: The University of Minnesota is stepping up security after a rash of campus-related crime this school year. The U added three officers to its police ranks. It’s also adding dozens of new security cameras, extending hours of shuttle bus services, and rolling out key-card access to all university buildings. “We’re Read more →


The steps the University of Minnesota is taking to heighten campus safety

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