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Marquette University adding more officers on campus after increase in crime

marquette university
Posted at 8:39 PM, Mar 30, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-31 06:42:48-04

MILWAUKEE — Marquette University announced new action steps on Wednesday, including adding more officers on campus, after an increase in crime.

On top of attending classes, Marquette University students say they are concerned about their safety on campus.

"It is very disappointing that we have to go through this," Marquette freshman Lindsey Lubicz said.

Lubicz said she felt safe when she first started in the fall and suddenly things changed.

"People were seeing people with weapons out in the middle of the day and students were getting mugged, it was a little more concerning for me," she said.

Freshman Jacob Dinicola agrees.

"I'm here to learn, I'm here to be educated, and I don't think that's necessarily where you need to feel like you're in danger," Dinicola said.

The 43-member President's Task Force on Community Safety met Monday to present 30-day and 60-day recommendations to address the recent increase in crime around campus.

One of the immediate action steps that have been approved includes adding more officers.

"The Marquette University Police Department (MUPD) will partner with the Milwaukee Police Department (MD) to add officers for strategic patrol deployment while MUPD continues its recruiting efforts for open positions," Marquette said in a statement. "MPD contracted officers will begin in early April to further support MUPD with surveillance and intervention."

The university also worked with an outside security firm to add two more uniformed security officers who began duty this week, according to a news release.

"These officers will receive their surveillance assignments from MUPD each morning and will patrol on foot the area of 14th Street to 20th Street from Wells Street to State Street," Marquette said in a statement. "They are unarmed and wearing black uniforms with high-visibility vests so students can identify them. The university will work with the outside security firm to seek more personnel in the coming weeks."

Four new student drivers have been hired for the university's LIMO service, as well as one new non-student for the LIMO Express. The university is now offering an increased signing bonus of $500 to recruit more non-student drivers.

Marquette is also installing more cameras across campus to further augment real-time campus visibility to MUPD. There are currently 1,100 cameras already active on campus. Installation will begin immediately and continue over the next several months, the university says.

These are the first recommendations made by the safety task force. The 43-member group will continue to meet to prepare long-term recommendations which are due May 1.

To read the full list of Marquette's recent safety action steps, click here.

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