The University of Minnesota is teaming up with parents and others to form an advisory committee to address rising crime near the Twin Cities campus.
New safety committee working to address crime near University of Minnesota campus
July 13, 2022 at 10:36PM
The Strategic Safety Advisory Committee will identify and offer to U officials and local police possible steps that they can implement to improve safety.
The committee will be made up of students, faculty, staff, parents and representatives of the campus and Minneapolis police departments.
"Urgent and real safety concerns demand more collaboration than ever before to find effective, layered solutions," U President Joan Gabel said in a statement. "That can only be accomplished by bringing together a group like this one."
Crime near the university has spiked since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago, according to the Minneapolis Crime Dashboard. For example, campus assaults have tripled to 32 this year, compared with 10 during the same period in 2021.
The push to address safety grew after five people were shot in Dinkytown near the U's main campus in June 2021. Concerns have intensified since a crime wave over the July 4th weekend in Minneapolis.
Who serves on the committee and what will be its timeframe are still being finalized. The first meeting could happen as soon as next week, according to a university statement.
The committee was announced shortly after about 100 people gathered Monday at a campus safety forum to express their frustrations with rising crime.
The committee was one of several crime initiatives discussed at Wednesday's Board of Regents' meeting. Others included: expanding the partnership with local businesses to support public safety efforts; seeking more neighborhood lighting in Dinkytown, and encouraging shops to install video surveillance cameras.
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