Police are seeing a spike in what they believe to be gang and drug-related violence around State Street and other campus areas.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said Monday that police are addressing the issue by increasing bike patrols around the city, which has proven effective because police are able to sneak up behind perpetrators silently.
Although many of the attacks are not UW student-affiliated, police became aware of an increase in crimes perpetrated by gang members downtown. Resnick said police are noticing ""hot spots"" of criminal activities, including Concrete Park—the area between the Towers and Statesider on State Street—and the 500 block of State Street.
""This is a dangerous trend coming forward,"" Resnick said.
City officials are also concerned about an increase in crime on the Southwest commuter bike path, which runs past landmarks like Smith Residence Hall and Camp Randall Stadium.
Incidents include a robbery on the path between W Doty Street and W Main Street Sept. 8.
""Although convenient for folks to get around,"" Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said, ""these days people shouldn't be using the bike path alone after dark.""
Verveer said city officials are suspicious last week's incident may be related to a gang initiation because the suspects involved were between 12 and 15-years-old.
Verveer said Mayor Paul Soglin organized a meeting of all downtown campus area bar owners and managers last week to address the high level of disturbances in the downtown area this summer, especially in the entertainment district.
""A lot of police and tavern owners have noticed undesirable crowds loitering downtown and engaging in disturbances,"" Verveer said.
Police recently uncovered a ""drug house"" on the 500 block of State Street, Resnick said, where drug distributors conduct business in cars on the street.
In addition to increased bike patrols, police are also using funds from the Downtown Safety Initiative, a portion of the city budget allotted to promote further policing efforts and reduce downtown crime.
""[Police] are addressing the immediate, direct problems, but there's still work to be done,"" Resnick said.
Although there have been some attacks on UW students, Resnick said he does not necessarily think students need to be overly cautious on State Street and University Avenue, because campus areas are ""relatively safe,"" given Madison's size.
""Students definitely need to be aware of their surroundings, because no distance to walk is too short for something to happen."" Madison Police Department Sergeant Jason Ostrenga said.
