The ever-growing crime spree in downtown Madison has become increasingly prevalent in a particular neighborhood. The general area of the Henry Street and Gilman Street intersection has experienced an increased presence of violent crimes for the past few years. This now-vulnerable region extends through the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and State Street. From the spree of sexual assaults occurring in 2006 to the brutal attack on a 27-year-old male outside the Crave last Saturday., the general lack of safety in the northeastern area of State Street has only gotten worse.
Students on this campus have seen a fairly large change in the atmosphere of these streets. What they have not seen is a change in any form of tightened police protection in this general area. When it becomes somewhat clear that similar situations - in this case, violent crimes - continue to occur in a five-block radius, a larger concentration of police should be patrolling this area at a more frequent rate.
Regardless of how often a particular
neighborhood experiences a series of similar crimes, the Madison and UW police departments tend to shy away from a more focused response to this area. There is not any hint of an increased police presence at large, let alone in this five-block radius experiencing the increase of crime perpetration and victimization these past couple of years. There is not the slightest improvement in police presence, and not the slightest increase in safety felt by students and residents in this area.
I know this because I am a student who lives in this stretch of downtown. I hear of each new incident, and it seems like nearly half the time I hear the sirens through my windows or from where I work right down the block. The problem lies within the timing of when these police officials arrive. This is not in any way suggesting that police are not responding with immediate attention and efforts to catch these perpetrators and prevent future violent crimes from happening, but it is more than suggestive that patrolling schedules need to be reconsidered.
Although the response efforts of police are more than impressive, they would be more effective if they were nearby or on location to stop these crimes from happening.
Take, for instance, an incident such as the Juan Bernal stabbing outside the Plaza Tavern on Henry Street. An increased police presence outside could have stopped a few things from happening. Psychologically, the very existence of police outside of a building where patrons are socializing is more than likely to create a more intimidating environment that may curb criminal activity.
More specifically, consider Travis Knapp, a convicted accomplice in the Juan Bernal stabbing. He was blatantly bail-jumping by drinking at the Plaza, where he soon assisted in the incident, andmore so in its aftermath. If police were patrolling outside the Plaza often enough for people both in line and inside the bar to notice them, could the outcome have turned out differently? Perhaps Knapp, who knew he was bail-jumping, would have thought twice before entering the Plaza, therefore eliminating him from the scene of the crime.
The elimination of a homicide accomplice could very well diminish the chance of defendant Justin Stout stabbing Bernal, considering there is one less individual involved in the violent act. Although officials such as Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, feel that crime happening in this area is more of a matter of chance, the frequency of violence in this particular neighborhood clearly needs a different law-enforcement method than it has seen these past few years.
Dan Josephson is a senior majoring in legal studies and political science. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
