Door-hanger Program Stresses Safety To Students, Residents

In another community outreach effort to promote public safety around the UC campus, UC students joined with officers from UC Police and the Cincinnati Police in going door-to-door last Saturday in neighborhoods adjacent to campus to distribute anti-crime door-hangers.

The door-hangers have a dual message. On one side, residents of the Uptown neighborhood around UC are notified that university is committed to the safety of the area and are given advice on appropriate parties to contact about criminal behavior. The other side of the door hanger advises UC students about the consequences should they be found guilty of riotous behavior, such as the kind of problems associated with large Cinco de Mayo celebrations in several recent years.

After having problems in 2003, UC initiated a more pro-active approach last year that included the debut of the door-hanger campaign. The result was no major problems were reported last year on the weekends surrounding the Cinco de Mayo holiday.

A similar door-hanger campaign in December helped make UC students aware of the steps necessary to prevent property crime against their residences while they were away on the break prior to Winter Quarter. Other crime prevention efforts involving UC poice and the students this year include a program to pay for floodlights for the front of Uptown neighborhood housing, as a preventative measure against street crime and auto break-ins, and a continuing dialogue between UC Police, UC students and the Cincinnati Police about strategies for crime prevention around campus.

The door-hangers that were distributed in the neighborhoods Saturday are also being distributed within UC's residence halls.