I know this has probably been addressed numerous times, but I just want to get this cleared up, and so my mother can [hopefully] sleep peacefully at night. I've heard many different things about crime rates in the Hyde Park and University districts, and they have been on both ends of the spectrum.
Some say it's the safest part of Chicago, since it's the most integrated racially and economically. Some also say that it's the worst, for some reason or another. Even more say it's a combination of both, with the safe part being north of the midway parks, and the really, really dangerous gang zones south of the midway parks.
I mean, I'm not naive; Chicago's a big city, and one has to be street smart to live smart in that area. Common sense is a given. But compared to other urban universities (Columbia in NY, Yale in New Haven, UW in Seattle, USC in LA, etc.) and the rest of Chicago, how is the area?
You'll hear from a lot of people that south of campus is not safe at night, and you'd probably do well to take their word for it. While Hyde Park is a very nice area, the neighborhood south of it is not exactly nice. The campus is generally safe and well-patrolled, but if you want to walk around at night for some reason, it's always better to go with a buddy or a group, just in case. They also have shuttle services and things if you feel unsafe walking home at night.
I asked my interviewer about how often people get mugged walking alone, and she said she did have a couple of friends who had it happen to them, but they were alone at night. If you are street smart, like you said, you'll be fine. Don't walk alone at night, especially south of campus, and it's perfectly safe.
At 5:05 p.m., Thursday, April 2- A man, 18, standing on the sidewalk with several acquaintances on Cottage Grove Avenue between 61st and 62nd Street was fatally shot by an unknown assailant.
At 8:50 p.m., Friday, April 3 - A woman, 18, her male companion, 18, and a one year-old child in a car stopped at a traffic signal at 61st and Cottage Grove were shot at by the unknown occupants of a white, 4-door Pontiac Grand Am that pulled up next to their car. The shot shattered the rear door window, but no one was injured.
At 12:40 a.m., Saturday, April 4 - A man, 28, was fatally shot in the street near his residence, just south of the UCPD patrol area, on Ingleside between 64th and 65th Street.
Police are seeking suspects in all three cases at this time. Police believe at least two of the cases are gang-related.
The Chicago Police and the University of Chicago Police are working with a variety of city and community resources in an effort to address this gang-related violence. There is collaborative planning and deployment of Chicago and UCPD patrol units supported by specialized units of the Chicago Police Department. UCPD and CPD are expanding a Safe Passage Program for school children. Active support in the community is being supplied by Alderman Willie Cochran (20th Ward), The Apostolic Church of God, the Cease Fire Organization, The Woodlawn Organization, The Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corp., and The Woodlawn New Communities Program.
Every resource available to the police and the community is being implemented in order to reduce the community risk and apprehend the perpetrators. In the meantime, please use caution. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to use the Safe Ride service, University bus system, or UCPD Umbrella service. Information is available on line at Community Safety | The University of Chicago.
Rudolph E. Nimocks
Chief, University of Chicago Police Department
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As a UChicago student, you have no reason to be in these areas, but you should realize that Hyde Park is essentially surrounded by "Thug Life" to the west and the south.
Something meow said deserves underlining: Those incidents are upsetting, but they did not occur in any area that is part of the University of Chicago. They are too close to ignore, but they are all 3-4 blocks from anywhere undergraduates would expect to be.
My kids, by the way, walk alone at night all the time. Yes, it is an urban area. Yes, you have to pay attention to your surroundings. But most students experience crime, if at all, as a rumor of something that happened to someone else they don't really know.
The first time I visited U Chicago, I'd been "warned" that it was in a dangerous area. Well, I almost laughed when I got there. It was green and leafy and there were lots of happy people.
It's an urban area. And if that's not what you're used to, it will be an adjustment. If that's not what your mother is used to, it might be harder for her. But on that first visit, one thing I did was to call my husband and say, "It's just fine!"
To be fair, what happened last week was by far the worst series of crimes that have occurred all year. However, when the weather becomes nicer, the crime rate does increase. Here is a comprehensive list of the security alerts that we have received this year. Any time a serious crime near/on campus happens, we get an email about it.
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February 16, 2009
Security Alert
At approximately 9:20 p.m., Monday, February 16 - A woman walking at 1116 East 59th Street was struck from behind and pushed to the ground by a man who tried to remove her slacks. The woman fought the man and ran to a nearby UCPD emergency phone, saw a passing UCPD squad car and informed the officer of the attack. The offender was described as a male white or hispanic, 6'0", with bushy hair, wearing dark clothing. Police are investigating.
Rudolph E. Nimocks
Chief, University of Chicago Police Department
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January 24, 2009
Security Alert
Chicago and University police are investigating a series of robberies that have occurred in or around the Metra train station at 63rd Street and Dorchester Avenue. On three separate occasions between November 29, 2008, and January 22, 2009, a man armed with a knife robbed or attempted to rob lone women. The incidents occurred between 6:55 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Safety Tips:
*
Avoid isolated bus or train stops, especially at times when few other people are around.
*
If a person confronts you and demands your money or possessions, give what is demanded and create a safe distance.
Rudolph E. Nimocks
Chief, University of Chicago Police Department
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October 9, 2008
Security Alert
At 9:55 p.m., Wednesday, October 8 – A woman entering the lobby of her apartment building on Hyde Park Boulevard near Dorchester was grabbed from behind by a man who forced her to an area at the rear of the building where he sexually assaulted and robbed her. The woman was transported to the hospital for treatment. Police are checking building surveillance cameras for possible images of the suspect.
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October 1, 2008
Security Alert
At 9:20 p.m., Wednesday, October 1 – University Police found a woman on the street at 5411 South Ellis Avenue. It appears she was struck in the head during an assault. Details are not fully known at this time. The victim was transported to the hospital in serious condition.
As you can see, there have only been a few violent crimes this academic year, and although it would be nice if there were none, you should notice that the common thread among these crimes is that they were committed against either people who were traveling alone or in areas that are known to be unsafe and to which UChicago students have no reason to venture. So the key is to use common sense. And if you don't use common sense, you will probably be okay anyways.
As has been stated, if you use common sense and don't walk alone off the main campus at night, you may never experience any crime. The neighborhood immediately surrounding the campus is good and if you need to travel anywhere else there are shuttles and escorts galore. I was worried initially when my child went to U of C, but feel more comfortable now. Furthermore, places like Yale, in New Haven, are far worse than U of C when you get off of the immediate campus. Talk to security and get the low down on what to do and not to do and you should be fine. I.e. don't walk alone off campus at night listening to your IPOD. Don't forget, the U of C has the largest private police department after the Vatican.
Many (Most?) of the negative safety perceptions regarding Hyde Park were formed a generation ago, when Hyde Park was truly an oasis surrounded by the worst of urban blight. I wish there was a photo essay of what things looked like along Garfield Blvd west of Washington Park, or the area north of 47th street back in the early 1980s when I was first on campus. Both streets were thronging with people but it was very, very rough. South of the Midway, especially along 63rd, when the el tracks were still, there, was another fascinating but rough area.
Today, these areas are largely empty, with a renaissance taking place north of 47th. As a result, crime has gone way down in these areas.
The problem areas that still exist are
1. South of Washington Park and west of Cottage Grove - one of the tougher areas left in the city.
2. An ill defined area along Drexel north and somewhat south of Hyde Park Blvd (unless it has been cleaned up in the past two years).
There is more crime (two robberies last night) on or near the University of Washington campus in "sedate" Seattle, then there is on or near the UofC campus. I think if one checks out the comparative university crime rates one will find UofC will not be near the top.
I would echo what most are saying. I think a lot of the concerns about safety at the UofC grow out of the stigma of the "south side" of Chicago.
I'm not a huge fan of the crime alerts, because I think they create a false sense of the amount of crime. If you took any urban neighborhood (and even many suburban and rural areas) and sent out notification every time a crime involving a weapon or major property theft was committed within an area as large as that covered by the university's crime alerts, you would probably be alarmed.
There are areas around the University that are some of the higher crime areas in the city. Sadly (for the neighborhoods), they are pretty much self-contained and targeted crimes (i.e. gang-related or demestic disputes -- very little random shooting of people). As such, even though they are fairly close to Hyde Park, there are, in many ways, a world away.
These rougher neighborhoods are quite isolated from the outside world (which is part of why they remain so poor and have such high crime rates -- an enormous social problem and the University's role in creating this is rather complicated and not particularly flattering), but that also means that there isn't a lot of spill-over into Hyde Park itself, especially with the ultra violent crime (since it's usually targeted, based on gang/family affiliations or domestic disputes). There is the occasional exception (a tragic shooting about a year and a half ago), but that is going to be the case anywhere, even in suburban or rural areas (methamphetamine has led to quite a few random violent crimes in the 'peaceful' rural area I grew up).
Property theft is a pretty legitimate concern, but I think that's probably true on any campus, especially one in an urban area (I don't think I've ever been to a university library that wasn't plastered with warnings not to leave stuff unattended).
I think about the crime in Hyde Park like driving a car. Is there a real risk that something could happen, especially if you are careless? Yes. But the vast, vast, vast majority of the time people who are careful (and even most who are not) come through just fine.
I think that the U of C is about 10 years behind Columbia in terms of how the neighbor surrounding the college is improving. I think U of Penn is similar to U Chicago. I was born, raised and lived in NYC (now work there), my son attends U Chicago and I have visited U Penn and walked around some. Yale is no better than Penn in this regard.
61st and Ellis sits just north of of an area that's undergoing a big improvement. There are a lot of row houses in the area - not too many apartment buildings. As you move west, things deteriorate pretty quickly, but as a poster above noted, the "problems" don't travel that much. As you move east, and southeast, it stays pretty decent.
UofC has offered some pretty good financing to faculty and staff that buy property south of the Midway, so the neighborhood is pretty stabilized now.
Also, with regard to the new dorm, don't forget that the U of C police are moving their headquarters south of the Midway, and that police will be more visible down there as the center of undergrad life shifts south.
