Officials from UW-Madison and the Madison Police Department are urging students to take extra safety precautions in the wake of several robberies in the Madison area.
According to Joel DeSpain, MPD Public Information Officer, the recent string of Madison crimes is not patterned and has typically not targeted students.
DeSpain said though these crimes have not been student-related and that Madison has been statistically safer compared to other U.S. cities of its size, students should still continue to take extra safety precautions.
He added that many UW-Madison students should not consider everyone around them their peers.
""Some students don't realize that there are also some predators,"" he said.
He said the UW-Madison campus in particular is a target for criminals because of the number of students walking around campus late at night, sometimes while intoxicated.
""A lot of the criminals we see who are in the greater city area, specifically downtown, are really looking at crimes of opportunity, and so the best thing to do is to be defensive,"" he said.
According to DeSpain, many of the recent crimes have occurred late at night, and he said students should walk with friends and in well-lit areas to keep themselves safe.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam said that though nighttime is the most important time to take these precautions, students should constantly be alert and aware of crime.
""Personal safety isn't something to only think about at nighttime or after leaving the library, but to make a part of your life all of the time,"" she said in a statement.
According to DeSpain, students should not hesitate to report crimes to the police, even if the victim was consuming alcohol underage at the time.
""I would just encourage people that we will have discretion when it comes to whatever activity the person might have been involved in when they were victimized,"" he said.
DeSpain said UWPD believes many of the recent robberies in the Madison area may have been linked, and officials are still investigating suspects.
