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Crime & Safety

Yale Avenue, Crime Alert System Among Safety Concerns Raised by Students, Residents

A panel of campus and community officials addressed concerns from the community at a forum, organized by the University of Maryland Student Government Association.

College Park community members peppered a panel of officials Tuesday evening with questions about the safety of Yale Avenue, the alleged abuse of on-campus facilities workers and the use of the campus Crime Alert System.

About 50 University of Maryland students and College Park residents turned out at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union for an open dialogue with UMd. administrators, campus and county police to discuss on- and off-campus concerns.

Yale Avenue Safety

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Student Government Association legislator Robert DiMauro, who lives in and represents the Leonardtown Community, said he is concerned about traffic safety on Yale Avenue, which runs behind Fraternity Row and in front of Leonardtown housing. University Police Chief David Mitchell said he’d like to see the same safety improvements made along Yale Avenue as were in front of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (CSPAC). The improvements included the removal of some parking spaces that blocked views, and bumping out the sidewalk to improve sightlines.

“I am going to make a note and talk to the people who did the survey for CSPAC, so we can do the same near Leonardtown,” Mitchell said.

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Alleged Workplace Abuse

UMd. will release an Ethical Conduct Policy on Feb. 16, according to the Associate Director of Community Relations Gloria Aparicio Blackwell. The creation of the code follows allegations of workplace abuse on campus. In September, a coalition released a 62-page call-to-action to address the situation, though its members did not find evidence of widespread toxic workplaces, as The Diamondback reported.

“[We] will continue to work with Human Resources and other groups to ensure respect for others and equal opportunities for all,” Blackwell said. She also said she believes language barriers might be contributing to the situation, and that UMd. officials are working to facilitate on-campus language courses for workers.

Crime Alert System

The campus Crime Alert System dominated the remainder of the hour-long session.

One recent graduate said he was concerned about the suspect descriptions provided in the electronic alerts sent from University Police. “So many of the alerts describe a black male, between 5’1” and 5’10”, wearing dark clothing.” That made the graduate feel unsafe, as that described not only him, but a large portion of people on campus, he said. “Is this the best we can do?” he asked.

Mitchell said he shared the frustration about the vagueness of many reports, especially “reports of young men of color.” Mitchell promised to “carry this conversation to our troops, to remind them that we are here to protect you regardless of your heritage. We will be as sensitive as we can, and report it as accurately as we can.”

Mitchell then touted the Jan. 25 public release of —a smartphone app that will stream live audio, video and GPS coordinates of a 911 caller. This is an example of how technology can improve campus safety and aid police work, he said.

Officials also said that the Student Code of Conduct might be applied to off-campus behavior, discussed the growing divide between student and town residents in some high-rises, and law enforcement changes in light of the anniversary of the .

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