Editorial : Students must meet local efforts halfway to reduce neighborhood crime

Off-campus safety was the topic of a community meeting among residents, police and local politicians Monday night. Although the meeting highlighted a string of robberies that took place directly in the East neighborhood, no students attended the meeting.

Safety is a primary concern among students at Syracuse University, where they often view the surrounding neighborhoods and inner city with disdain for high crime rates. But students must play an active role in ensuring their own safety, especially with Halloween weekend fast approaching.

The Syracuse Police Department and the Department of Public Safety collaborate to patrol the outer campus neighborhood, and DPS usually alerts students promptly when a student is the victim of a crime. DPS also offers rides home to those who feel unsafe.

Zero student attendance at a meeting — which focused on crime that relates to hundreds of off-campus student residents — shows students can work harder to meet police efforts halfway.

Here are some points police brought up at the meeting and additional suggestions that can help students promote safety:

• Leave the front light on to deter criminals.

• Walk home from parties or late nights with friends.

• Keep doors locked even while awake and in the house or apartment.

• Keep cellphone and keys readily available in a front pocket.

• Pepper spray in small amounts is legal in New York.

• Check the IDs of people entering your party to make sure strangers are still Syracuse University students.

• Remove valuables or items that appear valuable from the car.

Coming from a couple of years of relatively insulated campus-living, students seem unprepared to take common sense measures to deter crime off campus. Simple practices, like not stumbling home drunk and alone, would greatly decrease the chances of crime around our neighborhood.