Associated Students of Madison launched its Neighborhood Watch Program Friday night in an effort to increase the presence of student safety watchers on and near campus during crime-prone weekends nights.
Volunteers will cover the Spring Street/College Court and Camp Randall areas, an area south of Regent Street and an area south of State Street, including West Washington Avenue and Mifflin Street. Two shifts will run every Friday and Saturday night, from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. and 12 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Kelly Arendt, ASM campus safety chair, said the program is designed for students to play a more active role in keeping UW-Madison safe.
Students want to take ownership of the streets and show their support for campus safety,"" Arendt said.
Since fall 2006, ASM has been actively working on improving campus safety.
Through networking with other student organizations and talking about safety concerns, the ASM Neighborhood Watch Program was developed in spring 2007.
Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, has worked closely with ASM in creating a program that addresses community safety issues while giving students the chance to become more involved on campus.
""Students have been getting a lot of flack recently with regards to alcohol-related crime or just the general visibility we've had here on campus,"" Judge said.
""I think this really shows that we do have the ability to show some responsibility to go out there and outreach to the rest of the neighborhoods.""
The volunteers will work in teams, and there will be two teams patrolling each location.
Prior to every shift, an officer from the Madison Police Department will give a 15-minute orientation outlining the program's expectations and answering any questions the volunteers might have.
Volunteers are also outfitted with bright yellow t-shirts, reflective armbands, flashlights and an emergency contact card.
MPD officer Kraig Knutson, neighborhood officer in the College Court area, said he is enthusiastic about the benefits of having extra help patrolling campus areas.
""This is a great opportunity for not just college students but the community of Madison to get involved, get out on the street [and] hopefully deter a lot of crime,"" Knutson said. ""Hopefully it will prevent a lot of people from becoming victims.""
Student support for the program has been good so far, according to Arendt.
""Students are really, really excited about it. I get e-mails all the time [asking] 'Can I volunteer?' It's a positive response,"" Arendt said.
ASM hopes to continue the program each semester with new student volunteers. For more information on how to volunteer, go to www.asm.wisc.edu.
