Leaders of both Columbus Police and University Police gathered Wednesday to discuss the increase in several safety measures such as security cameras and lighting in the off-campus neighborhood. Credit: Sarah Szilagy | Patricia B. Miller Special Projects Reporter
Standing in the shade of Indianola Presbyterian Church Wednesday afternoon, leaders of both Columbus Police and University Police said they are working to slow the increase in violent crime in the off-campus area — crime that is also rising throughout other Columbus neighborhoods.
More security cameras, lighting and patrol by Columbus Police, University Police and unsworn security officers are some of several steps the university and Columbus Police said are being implemented in the University District following a series of neighborhood safety notices related to armed robberies and other crimes near campus. University Police Chief Kimberly Spears-McNatt said a “holistic” and “collaborative” approach is required to lower crime rates.
“I recognize that police cannot be the only solution, and that safety means different things for everyone,” Spears-McNatt said. “However, in order for us to be successful, we must all work together with the university, the city, property owners, residents and visitors.”
Columbus Police Deputy Chief Jennifer Knight said in the University District, reports of aggravated assault, robbery and burglary in the past six months have increased 51 percent from the same period in 2019. In July and August alone, crime rates were double the 2019 rate.
August brought six neighborhood safety notices, compared to one sent in August 2020, according to the Department of Public Safety website.
The increase in violent crime near campus mirrors that of other areas of the city, Knight said, including Linden, the West Side, Near East Side and Interstate 71 corridor. She said similar measures, including increasing uniformed and plainclothes officer patrol, are being implemented in those areas as well.
“This area is no different than some of the other areas that we are experiencing that kind of behavior,” Knight said. “What we need to do is focus, and we need to make sure that we’re operating in collaboration with the residents, city government, the police department and any resource that can help us.”
Unique to the University District, however, is the increase in both Columbus and University police officers working overtime as part of the university’s crime interdiction unit, Knight said, which is funded by the university.
University spokesperson Dan Hedman said the crime interdiction unit operates similarly to other joint-patrol efforts in that Columbus and University police officers patrol the off-campus area together.
The university received nearly $370,000 as part of a $5 million grant to enhance security efforts at 27 colleges and universities in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine announced in a press release Tuesday. Ohio State received the second-most amount of money of any university, behind the University of Akron and University of Cincinnati with $430,000 each.
Spears-McNatt said the majority of the grant will be used to purchase and install security cameras off campus.
Spears-McNatt acknowledged that for many students, particularly students of color, the increase in police presence goes against last year’s requests from students and student leaders to do the opposite. She said police deployment is not the only action the university has taken to address safety, and the university continues to explore alternatives.
“When these notices go out, those are just not numbers,” Spears-McNatt said. “Those are students who have been impacted. Those are family members who have been impacted. These are students’ college experiences. And as university leadership, and across the board of the university, we do take these seriously, and we do want the students to have a good college experience. For our students who may have a different perspective about law enforcement, we have not dismissed their concerns.”
