Binghamton University officials are leery to believe statistics that suggest the city of Binghamton has seen a drop in crime over the past few months and are warning students to be aware of their surroundings Downtown.
Last month, data from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services showed violent crime to be down by 9.7 percent. Earlier this month, 20-year-old Binghamton resident Tyler Loop was allegedly assaulted by three men behind the Holiday Inn Arena, leaving him in a coma for more than five days. In late August, BU student George Hamelos was allegedly assaulted on State Street by Joseph Rojas, 22, of Oak Street. Hamelos was initially in critical condition.
In past years, similar incidents have occurred Downtown. In May 2008, then-BU student Bryan Steinhauer was beaten into a coma that lasted three months after a bar fight at The Rathskeller Pub Downtown. In 2007, a female student was assaulted and robbed as she walked to her car on the South Washington Street Bridge from the University Downtown Center after an evening class.
David Husch, director of Off Campus College, said that in his 14 years of working at BU, he has always been able to tell parents at orientation that very few fights occur. He also said that when these fights do occur, they are usually between students.
According to Husch, this is not the case anymore. Because of the desensitization of society, the number of fights and the amount of violence have escalated.
“It’s an alarming trend that we’re getting into and the frightening part is you used to just get in a fight and then it would be over, but now people are kicking each other in the heads and putting each other into comas,” Husch said.
Investigator Matthew C. Rossie of Binghamton’s New York State University Police agreed with Husch that the kinds of crimes being committed are more violent than in the past.
According to Rossie, if city of Binghamton budget cuts result in the decrease in law enforcement officers, he’d expect to see a rise in crimes since there will be less enforcement to prevent them.
“If I were a parent of a BU student, the city of Binghamton is the last place I’d want my child to live because you have a mayor that’s going to cut law enforcement and violent crimes on the rise,” Rossie said in regard to the potential police cuts.
Rossie added that BU students should also think about the dangers associated with going Downtown.
On Wednesday, City Council members approved the 2010 budget which eliminated 35 positions, more than six percent of the city’s work force, according to a report from The Press & Sun-Bulletin. Although one police position was restored, 12 officer positions were cut along with 10 firefighter positions.
According to the report, Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan still has the option to veto any changes the council made to his original budget.
Recently, the Binghamton Police Department installed cameras on State Street. However, according to Husch, this will not fix the problem.
“The problem is that while we can inform students about things like the cameras on State Street, a lot of these perpetrators are not students,” he said.
According to Rossie, a standard operating procedure takes place when incidents occur Downtown.
“We do everything we can do to assist Binghamton and get as much relevant information for the campus population so they can make safe decisions,” Rossie said.
Rossie added that Binghamton’s New York State University Police familiarizes itself with every incident that occurs Downtown, regardless of whether or not a BU student was involved. In each of these incidents, they assess how it would affect the Binghamton community.
A link on the Off Campus College Web site, entitled “Safety Measures for Off Campus Students,” was uploaded last spring to give students safety tips. These tips were given to OCC by the Binghamton Police Department.
“It was in police terminology and I translated it into studeniese [student lingo],” Husch said.
These safety tips pertain to personal safety, as well as dos and don’ts when you are walking or in a car. Husch stressed the importance of being aware of your surroundings in regard to personal safety.
“If someone is interested in jumping you and you’re listening to your iPod or talking on your cell phone, you’re not listening to your surroundings and are therefore an easy target,” he said.
Husch is in constant contact with Binghamton police and the University police to continue to try to provide a safe environment for students Downtown.
Students are reconsidering walking alone in the Downtown area.
“I don’t really feel safe anymore, even during the daytime; it is dangerous,” said Joshua Khakshoor, junior finance major living on Front Street. “I feel like there should be more police on patrol, not only by the bars, but on Main Street and Court Street as well.
Although Khakshoor will be living Downtown again next year, he is considering getting an alarm system for his house.
The Binghamton Police Department Chief Joseph Zikuski did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment this week.