After a series of recent armed robberies occurring on and near campus, the University has flooded the campus with security officers and is exploring ways to revamp the entire structure of campus security.
After a series of recent armed robberies occurring on and near campus, the University has “flooded the campus” with security officers and is exploring ways to revamp the entire structure of campus security.
Two instances of armed robbery on and near Duke’s campus were reported by students since Thursday, bringing the total number of armed robberies affecting the Duke community to four since the beginning of the academic year. The most recent incidents occurred on West Campus and the area adjacent to East Campus.
A 17-year-old student reported that at about 2:15 a.m. Saturday a man showed him a gun near the end of the Edens Drive fire lane and told him to put his wallet on a picnic table. The man then took the wallet and walked into the woods, Maj. Phyllis Cooper, a spokesperson for Duke University Police Department, said in a statement.
The student was unharmed and called the police from Rick’s Diner in McClendon Tower. The suspect is described as a black man, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, wearing a dark mesh camouflage T-shirt, dark blue jeans and a dark hat.
The other robbery occurred just after 1 a.m. Friday near the intersection of Gregson and Minerva streets a few blocks off East. Four students returning from Satisfaction Restaurant in Brightleaf Square were approached by two men, one of whom students thought was holding a handgun. The men told the students to sit on the ground and hand over their wallets, cash and cell phones. No injuries were reported. Durham Police Department is investigating the off-campus robbery.
In response to the on-campus incident, the University has increased the number of DUPD officers on duty, contracted DPD officers to patrol from 4 p.m. to midnight and added as many as 15 security personnel from Securitas USA, a private firm Duke has used to supplement campus police.
“They’ve basically flooded the campus,” said John Burness, senior vice president for public affairs and government relations.
Executive Vice President Tallman Trask, who oversees all security operations at the University, said administrators spent all weekend developing a plan to increase security.
University officials have been analyzing campus safety measures for several months, but in recent weeks President Richard Brodhead has played a more substantial role, administrators said. As Duke strives to make campus more secure, it will turn to construction projects, such as the planned re-development of Central Campus, to make campus less vulnerable to outside criminals.
The administration is also planning a wholesale reorganization of campus safety services, which Trask said will likely begin within the next several weeks.
He noted that the substantial increase of officers is “probably” an overreaction to the recent armed robberies. “But after we had one on Edens quad, it’s not as easy to say that as it used to be,” he said.
The two armed robberies earlier this semester both occurred on Central Campus. A visiting faculty member was robbed at gunpoint while walking on a path near the Sarah P. Duke Gardens Sept. 8, and a delivery person for Satisfaction was robbed at gunpoint near 302 Anderson St. Aug. 23. DUPD has not determined if either of the Central incidents are related or if either is related to the most recent robberies.
The cost of the additional security on campus will be absorbed by the Office of the Executive Vice President. “Money is not going to be an object,” Burness said.
Administrators reassured the community that Duke’s campus is generally a safe place to be. Student concern, however, has intensified in recent weeks.
“I personally believe that students do not feel as safe as they should be on campus,” said junior Jesse Longoria, Duke Student Government vice president for facilities and athletics. “It’s the responsibility of the administration to provide us with as safe a situation as possible. It’s the responsibility of the students to practice the highest state of awareness in the situation that’s provided by security officers and security personnel. I don’t believe students are provided with the most secure situation possible.”
He also noted that students have received no advice about how to handle themselves in situations when they might be victims of crime.
DUPD officers reminded students to continue safety practices such as keeping their doors locked and not walking alone at night. “There is safety in numbers. Unfortunately a man with a gun outnumbers four students,” DUPD Chief Clarence Birkhead said.
DUPD encourages anyone with information about either of the two recent incidents to contact officers at 684-2444.
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