Safety in Numbers?

The university is sending out enough safety emails to overflow your inbox, but the question is: do you feel safe?  Since August 11^th there have been three armed robberies, all of which involved women as the victims.  Two of these robberies occurred on the Boulder Creek Path and the other in a parking garage on Pearl St. The most disturbing of these robberies, involved not one but three girls and occurred in broad daylight. All three instances involved a handgun. According to police reports, a similar suspect was reported for all three robberies but has not yet been caught by Boulder County police. The suspect is being described as a Hispanic male in his 20s, about 5’6” with short “spiky” hair. While these particular instances may seem isolated and rare, it leaves many college women uneasy and questioning their safety at school.
 
Over the last five years, the statistics of crime in Boulder have skyrocketed. Assaults have grown from 453 in 2006 to 557 as of 2010, while murders have also become more frequent as only one occurred in 2006 and five occurred in 2010. It is also important to note these are only the crimes that were reported. Crimes such as rapes often go unreported especially on college campuses. Why this gradual rise of criminal activity? Is it because Boulder is becoming more populated? Every year, more and more students apply and are accepted to the university. Does it have to do with our college demographics? For instance, the majority of the CU Boulder population is middle to upper class white students. Does this make young college students preferable targets? Or are all of these cases simply wrong place wrong time scenarios?
 
Perhaps the safety myth is at work. After all, Boulder is a college town nestled between the beautiful flatirons and Boulder Creek. It’s not a bustling city with urban problems. This is exactly why when crime occurs, the people of Boulder are flabbergasted. Too many times, the mantra “it won’t happen to me” goes through our heads. Too many times do we denounce crimes as alcohol induced or wrong place wrong time. As unfortunate as it sounds, it’s time the students and citizens of Boulder start taking warnings of crime and precautions seriously. Of course, you’ve heard it all before, don’t walk home alone at night, go out with boys if you can, lock your doors, carry Mace, a whistle or anything that would be painful to someone’s eyes…the list goes on and on. The best advice police are giving is to stay alert.
 
The bottom line is: it’s up to us (college ladies) to protect ourselves and others. Plan ahead when going out. Trust me, sleeping in a frat house beats a sketchy walk home (and with any luck, you’ll remember where your purse is in the morning).
 
If anyone has any information on the recent robberies or any other episodes of crime in Boulder, authorities please ask that you contact Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at crimeshurt.com or 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Any information that leads to arrests can receive up to $1,000 in rewards.