Crime watch aided by student participation
Hopkins has 900 students and staff members signed up to participate in the Baltimore City program entitled "Operation Crime Watch." The program allows the Baltimore City Police Department 3,000 patrol officers to double the number of eyes and ears patrolling city streets.
Crime Watch began in the late 1970s and was revamped in 2003 to include a new computerized database. At the time of its founding, the program was called Block Watch and revolved more around citizens' specific blocks.
Any Baltimore citizen has the ability to sign up for Crime Watch, including students living in Baltimore and anyone working in the city. This includes Hopkins students who have a Block Watch number and the ability to report a crime at any time. The program has been advertised around campus by Campus Safety and Security at places such as the Fresh Food Café.
Hopkins students are active at different time schedules than local community members, allowing students' participation in the crime reporting of Charles Village to be crucial. This creates a balance between when community members are actively participating and when students are, generally because students stay up later.
There is a huge emphasis on trying to expand the program in Charles Village to include individuals not affiliated with the university. Vital to the program is getting "more eyes and ears on the streets ... with more reporting. If there are more people in the city reporting crimes, then there is also the chance that there will be less crime in those areas because of such reporting: [Criminals] will know it's not a place to be," said Salem Reiner, director of Community Affairs.
Operation Crime Watch is mainly about a "higher level of awareness," Baltimore police Officer Douglas Gibson said. "It is the commitment of individuals to commit to their fellow citizens to take extra time and initiative to report things they see around them."
According to Gibson, the program has been strongly promoted to increase student participation and Executive Director Edmund Skrodzki has been an impetus in getting students and faculty to participate.
Crime Watch began in the late 1970s and was revamped in 2003 to include a new computerized database. At the time of its founding, the program was called Block Watch and revolved more around citizens' specific blocks.
Any Baltimore citizen has the ability to sign up for Crime Watch, including students living in Baltimore and anyone working in the city. This includes Hopkins students who have a Block Watch number and the ability to report a crime at any time. The program has been advertised around campus by Campus Safety and Security at places such as the Fresh Food Café.
Hopkins students are active at different time schedules than local community members, allowing students' participation in the crime reporting of Charles Village to be crucial. This creates a balance between when community members are actively participating and when students are, generally because students stay up later.
There is a huge emphasis on trying to expand the program in Charles Village to include individuals not affiliated with the university. Vital to the program is getting "more eyes and ears on the streets ... with more reporting. If there are more people in the city reporting crimes, then there is also the chance that there will be less crime in those areas because of such reporting: [Criminals] will know it's not a place to be," said Salem Reiner, director of Community Affairs.
Operation Crime Watch is mainly about a "higher level of awareness," Baltimore police Officer Douglas Gibson said. "It is the commitment of individuals to commit to their fellow citizens to take extra time and initiative to report things they see around them."
According to Gibson, the program has been strongly promoted to increase student participation and Executive Director Edmund Skrodzki has been an impetus in getting students and faculty to participate.
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