Baltimore remains the 12th-most dangerous city in the country, according to a study by Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Press.
Although the city's ranking has not changed since last year, crime has decreased in the Charles Village area.
"Baltimore City may be ranked the 12th most dangerous city; however, a more accurate analysis would involve the crime rate in the Northern Police District, where Hopkins is located, and not that of the overall city crime average," Edmund Skrodzki, executive director of Campus Security, said.
When comparing Baltimore police districts, the Charles Village-Homewood area has significantly lower crime rates than other neighborhoods. Baltimore police statistics show an overall 11 percent decrease in crime from last year in Charles Village and the surrounding area.
CQ released its 2007 "Most Dangerous City" rankings, with Baltimore City at the 12th position, where it was last year. The city also slipped in the "Safest City" ranking, from 360th to 367th.
Some experts have criticized CQ Press's report, claiming the study misuses FBI data and fails to consider cities' ethnic makeups and residents' biases.
Ben Krasney, the representative for CQ Press, said, "The publication does not provide in-depth information on a specific city. That is outside the scope of this book."
He explained a city's ranking is relative to its surrounding cities, and is based on the national average. Therefore if the majority of American cities witness an increase in crime rates, that increase reflects in the national average. This, in turn, affects all cities' ranking because the overall scores are based off the national average.
"It is not uncommon for a city to stay in the same general area of the ranking," Krasney said.
CQ Press formulates their city rankings according to scores in six basic crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.
Baltimore City, with a calculated population of 637,556, received an overall score of 236.78. This score is based from a reference point of 0.00, the average crime rate at the national rate. A greatly positive score reflects an average rate well above the national rate.
CQ Press considers cities of at least 75,000 residents if city officials have reported crime data to the FBI. Overall, 378 cities were taken into account in the review.
Detroit, with a calculated population of 884,462, received the title of the most dangerous city with an overall score of 407.15. Detroit also ranks at the top of the "Most Dangerous Metro Area " list. Communities beyond city limits, such as suburbs and surrounding districts, are considered in this separate ranking. Baltimore, paired with Towson, ranks at 31 with a combined population of 2,662,948 residents.
Because CQ Press did not publish the data last year, comparisons of national averages from the last two years were unable to be obtained. Along with population changes, seven additional cities were included in this year's rankings bringing the total to 378 cities.
Student responses seem to correlate with the city's ranking.
Gilberto Torrijos, a senior Molecular and Cellular Biology major, said, "I got robbed. I left my bike on my porch for a minute, and when I came out, the bike was gone. I later found it in the hands of two guys on Greenmount Avenue."
Torrijos lives eight blocks from the Homewood campus.
Other thefts have occurred this semester. Wan-hsin Chen, a junior public health student, said her car was broken into earlier this year.
"It was parked on 39th Street. It is generally thought that going further north ensures more security, but it didn't seem to be the case. Although nothing was stolen, my driver's side window was completely gone," she said.
Junior applied math major, Cheryl Kuan, told a similar story. Thieves broke into her car earlier this semester while it was parked near Homewood Apartments.
Over the last two years, the University has taken increased measures to ensure the student body is safe and secure. Skrodzki detailed the new implementations employed by the University.
"We opened a state-of-the art Communication Center which is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This serves as a hub for dispatching calls and monitoring 128 cameras strategically placed on and off campus. This has increased from 32 cameras in 2005 to the current level of 128 that are equipped with behavior recognition software which alerts operators to any suspicious or unusual activity in the cameras view," Skrodzki said.
Additionally, Hopkins has increased the number of emergency phones from 32 in 2005 to the current quantity of 94. These emergency phones are placed on the paths most traveled by students and faculty, both on and off campus. AlliedBarton security officers patrol on bicycles around Charles Street and St. Paul Street 24 hours a day.
"Hopkins is the first university in Baltimore to establish direct communications with Baltimore Police and Fire Departments," Skrodzki said.
"The direct connectivity between our dispatchers with both departments enables a more rapid emergency response to the Hopkins Community and more efficient coordination of multi-agency resources."
Campus Safety and Security has 72 members, 56 of whom are commissioned campus police officers. Commissioned officers have full police powers on campus property; however they do not carry firearms. Campus officers work eight-hour shifts and provide constant security coverage on and off campus, according to Skrodzki.
"We work closely with the Baltimore police officers, AlliedBarton officers and the community at large to maintain the safety in our area." Skrodzki said.
A number of new programs have also been launched to directly educate students on urban living.
The "Meet and Greet" sessions, conducted twice a month at locations around campus frequented by student, are our opportunities to meet students and discuss prevention strategies, distribute crime prevention pamphlets and answer general security questions or concerns, according to Skrodzki.
Free Rape Aggression Defenses (RAD) training is also offered to the women of the Hopkins community. This comprehensive program offers crime prevention awareness, risk reduction and avoidance training, as well as an introduction to basic self-defense techniques.
On the Campus Security Web site are weekly incident reports, which come from the "Hopkins Crime Watch" program. Currently, there are 1,063 Hopkins participants who have agreed to anonymously report suspicious activity to the Baltimore City Police directly. It is a collaborative effort between the student body and the city police to ensure safety on the Homewood campus.
Overall, the Campus Safety and Security's focus is to "to establish high visibility in areas surrounding Hopkins, instill a personal safety mindset and encourage students to exercise good judgment and take reasonable precaution to prevent becoming victims. It is imperative to be aware of the areas where there is a risk and exercise caution and good judgment when you travel around the city," Skrodzki said.
