Springtime in Madison historically has been a time of increased violence and crime downtown and near campus. But this year, police have noticed no spikes or trends in crime.
""No news is good news,"" said Madison Police Capt. Mary Schauf, Central District Commander.
So far this April, police have not released a report of sexual assault on or near campus. In fact, only two sexual assault cases of close proximity to campus have been reported this semester, and both took place within a week of each other in early March.
Schauf said downtown crime this year, more than any other, has been relatively limited for several reasons. She said first and foremost, community involvement has had the greatest impact in slowing criminal activity.
Although Schauf had no numbers, she said some key arrests have been made, in addition to campus involvement and the creation of neighborhood watch programs.
""One thing is the awareness that we're getting in the college community,"" Schauf said. ""I think that really helps in a lot of ways, it's that physical presence of being there, but it's also just people coming together to make things better.""
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's $100,000 Downtown Safety Initiative has also provided a boost to solving crime, Schauf said. She pointed out that the initiative has enabled police to step up efforts on all fronts downtown.
""We try to look at our data and put people where the highest propensity for violence seems to be,"" Schauf said.
Another reason crime has deflated this spring, according Madison police spokesman Mike Hanson, is due to a combination of elevated awareness and increased police presence throughout the city. He said this time last year, robberies and cases of battery were seemingly much higher.
""We have not seen a pattern of armed robberies this spring as we did last spring,"" Hanson said. ""Anecdotally, without running the numbers, it would appear that [crime is] less than what it was last year.""
Still, police and city officials are concerned about the growing problems on Gorham Street outside the Cue-Nique pool hall and bar, which saw two brawls in two weeks earlier this month. The first occurred March 31 when more than 100 people participated in a massive fray. The second incident happened April 14, when police needed pepper spray to disperse a nearly 120-person brawl.
Despite the problems outside Cue-Nique, Hanson said it is too early to draw parallels to Club Majestic. The problems at the King Street club included shootings, stabbings and constant violent activity last summer. Hanson said although much can change over the course of a few months, Club Majestic remains its own unique case.
""We're not seeing the consistent blocking of streets with people being in the streets at bar time,"" Hanson said. ""But we're certainly receiving some police calls there.""
Schauf said officers were given specific assignments over the last few weekends to watch the Gorham and State Street area.
