Crime has recently hit closer and closer to home for Georgetown students. Just three days ago, a student entered her home on 33rd Street to find two strangers rummaging through her purse. Only two blocks from LXR, in an area that still feels much like a part of the student community, her home was the target of a crime. The sense of security at Georgetown is quickly being proven false, and it is the responsibility of DPS to do everything within its power-whether in or outside of the strict definition of their jurisdiction-to deter these crimes.
DPS officers are assigned to various sectors of campus in consecutive shifts so that, ideally, University properties are covered by patrols 24 hours a day. Officers “endeavor to ensure safety and to protect life and property at the University.” Why, then, wouldn’t DPS patrol areas that may not be campus property, but where many students live?
Burleith and areas of West Georgetown not owned by the University are not technically under DPS jurisdiction and therefore not the University’s liability. Nevertheless, the majority of off-campus students live either in Burleith or West Georgetown. These areas fall within the second district of the Metro Police Department, as do Foggy Bottom, Cleveland Park, Chevy Chase, and more. In the grand scheme, the muggings and burglaries that take place on our side streets don’t carry much weight. But in a small community like Georgetown, the crime that occurs here is frightening.
As it is a residential neighborhood without the late-night activity of Georgetown, pedestrians in Burleith have long been easy targets for muggings. Even in the densely student-populated areas close to LXR, crime is still not uncommon. DPS should patrol areas in which off-campus Georgetown students bleed into the greater D.C. community. Although DPS officers can only make arrests on university property, they can deter off-campus crime. The mere presence of a blue-and-white car with flashing lights would likely dissuade a mugger from snatching a purse, or from coming back.
As of now, DPS’ only venture out of Georgetown property is the Saferides program, which is upsetting. If DPS has the manpower to swarm Village B every Friday night writing out violations, they can fuel Tuesday night patrols through off-campus neighborhoods.
DPS should do everything in its power to keep students safe, and right now it isn’t. On-campus safety is unquestionably important, but safety in the gray areas between campus property and the greater D.C. area is essential as well. Though Georgetown property may be circumscribed by Prospect Street and Reservoir Road, the personal safety of students is not. If we need more patrol cars, so be it. The protection of our student body, on campus and off, is paramount.
