Auraria Police Encouraging Students, Staff and Faculty to Help

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DENVER, Auraria Campus – Eighty percent of the crimes committed on campus are perpetrated by suspects not connected to the three colleges: Metropolitan State University of Denver, Community College of Denver and University of Colorado Denver, according to campus police.

And a part of this, is due to Auraria’s centralized location between Auraria Parkway, Spear Boulevard and Colfax Avenue. When students were told about this, their responses were mostly understanding.

“That doesn’t surprise us at all,” said Auraria student Elizabeth Henderson.

Another student, Liesl Jensen added, “There are a lot of external events on campus, so there are people on campus that are not a part of it anyway.”

However, the police are still trying to encourage more students, staff and faculty to aid them in getting information that is sooner, and more descriptive, by having “Text a Tip.” This service was labeled by Auraria Police Chief Michael Phibbs as a “huge help” for police in getting to a crime scene early or solving the issue quicker with photos of the culprit and not just an eye witness description.

“Most of our population on campus here are really good at texting and electronic devices,” Phibbs said. “In fact, I would say most people on the campus are more comfortable with texting communication then they are with speaking.”

The Auraria police are taking advantage of that by allowing witnesses to report something via text. They do this all in hopes to make the Metropolitan campus community more aware and give attendants a better experience.

Chief Phibbs’ advice to students, staff and faculity:

1. Lock up your belongings and use a U lock on bikes. A good amount of theft is done not by breaking in but by students forgetting to lock cars or leaving things unattended.
2. Mind your stuff. Don’t just leave your phone charging outside of class alone. Bring a portable charger or wait to plug it in when you can keep an eye on it.
3. Be aware of your surroundings. Stop walking across the street and texting. Don’t zone out with your headphones and electronics. If you’re going to listen to music, keep on earbud out so you still know what is going on around you.
4. If you see a problem, let the police know with “Text a Tip” at 720-593-8477 or call them and talk in person at 303-556-5000.