Memorandum
To: Conor Shaw-Draves (English Department Teacher)
From: Prince Dhaliwal, Buddie Dotter, Trenise Jackson, Amadou Kane, Alex Steflja (Students)
Date: February 7th, 2012
Re: Project 2 – Memo for Proposal
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide a guideline in reducing crime around the Wayne
State University campus in Detroit, MI. This memo will provide details about some of the
following aspects taken into consideration for the completion of this project: (1) who will be
receiving this final report, (2) the main problem that is going to be addressed, (3) the research
plan divided up, and (4) the type of research that is necessary to facilitate this problem. On top
of these points, (5) the reasoning for choosing this project will be explained and (6) the format
that the final report will be presented in. Lastly, (7) a schedule will be provided to show details
on when tasks will be completed, and (8) the criteria that is going to be used to help identify
and come up with potential solutions.
Recipients of Final Report
In addition to being submitted to Conor Shaw-Draves for use in grading, this project will also be
submitted to
Addressing Crime Problems at WSU
Being located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan, Wayne State University has a hard time
attracting students for the main reason of being located in a rough area. Although some
speculators may claim that Wayne State has similar crime numbers in comparison to any large
university out there, hard economic times and a large populace of people living below the
poverty line in Detroit are primary causes to high crime rates, and these primary causes do not
seem to be changing anytime soon. In reality, our group is simply not trying to prevent crime
since that would require more money being spent with funding already being cut, our primary
goal is to simple make students and everyone on campus safer and more immune to being a
crime victim by increasing awareness and supplementing some techniques in an efficient
manner. If these issues are never to be resolved, Wayne State may potentially see an increase
in crime and a decrease in enrollment rates which would corrupt the University’s reputation.
Equally Dividing the Research Work among Our Group
Prince DhaliwalBuddie DotterTrenise JacksonPage 1 of 6
Amadou KaneAlex StefljaResearch Plan
Group Reasoning for this Proposal
Final Project Format
Detailed Schedule of Assigned Tasks
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Criteria Used to Identify Potential Solutions
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Intro:
Our group, Ultimate Gs, has decided to do our final project on crime on the Wayne State campus. We are
not attempting to prevent crime on campus because that would require money and man-power and
Wayne State has insufficient funds to do so.
Goal:
Our primary goal is to make students and everyone on campus safer and more immune to being a crime
victim by increasing awareness and supplementing some techniques in an efficient manner.
Steps:
1. Figure out a way to administer this information in an efficient and timely manner in which all students
are likely to attend.
2. Find similarities in victims that increase the probability of becoming a victim.
A. wearing headphones(being unaware)
B. walking alone at night
C. not being aware of surroundings(looking down while walking)
D. showing something of value for the criminal.
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The US department of education is devoted to providing the utmost quality in campus safety to
ensure a decent learning environment. Their goal is to keep students, parents and employees
informed about crime on campus. The US department of education has a handbook for campus safety
and security, this book contains way to report and monitor crime on campus. “In 1990, Congress
enacted the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 (Title II of Public Law 101-542),
which amended the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA).” Acts such as this initiated content like the
campus alert system at Wayne State University and other institutions. The Wayne State police
department must disclose the crime statistics to the public to abide by this act. (6)
The Clergy act states the following information should be disclosed to the public. Where the
crimes occurred, to whom the crimes were reported, the types of crimes and which year. The
handbook states that the geography is an importance to campus safety. Students should be aware of
which properties are owned or rented by their institution. Property that is owned by the campus will
have more university police force.” Properly defining what’s “on campus” is vital not just for
disclosing on-campus crime statistics, but for accurately identifying another category of Clery
geography: public property (6)
The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators is a resource for crime
prevention on campus. The IACLEA crime prevention is defined as “the anticipation, the
recognition, and the appraisal of a crime risk and the initiation of action to remove or reduce it.”
IACLEA’s goal is to eliminate or decrease the probability of a crime occurring. One way to avoid
being a victim is to keep the campus police telephone number saved in your contacts, carry a whistle.
Being familiar of the campus layout is essential for safety, it is best to memorize the campus map.
Walk with confidence keep your head up to look around. (4)
While running, jogging or walking on campus it is wise to plan your route before hand and run in
groups. Don’t where jewelry this can attract a predator or carry cash, always face the traffic when
walking at night ware light clothing to remain visible and remove earphones. Always carry
identification on you stay away from bushes because someone could hide behind them. Change your
route every once and awhile to avoid being targeted by a predator. (4)
The Detroit police department has a crime prevention program to establish guidelines on
neighborhood watches.” Neighborhood Watch is a program that establishes a formal network of
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communication between neighborhoods and police regarding crime-related problems.” Establish a good
relationship with your neighbor, leave the porch light on so the person coming in can have visibility.
Networking is also important connect with your fellow peers about staying alert, if you see someone
in danger alert the police. (2)
On the Detroit police website there is a crime mapping function that allows the user to view crimes
that have taken place and what type of crime occurred in the city. The crime mapping function can be
used to avoid becoming a victim of a crime. An example based on the crime mapping system is to
avoid areas where there is a substantial amount of crime in the area. If you must enter a crime
infested area be on alert and have your pepper stray and try to say in a visible area. (2)
Why is the crime rate high in Detroit? Crimes can occur because of various factors, but,
economics is a main factor. Detroit is the poorest large city according to the census bureau conducted
in 2007. Not only did Detroit see an increase in poverty but the whole state of Michigan. In 2007
there were 1,377,000 people living below poverty line, federal poverty line is defined as below
$20,650 annually for a household of four. Today five years later there has been no improvement the
city of Detroit is faced with a debt of more than 12 billion. However the crime rate is down by -7.55
in comparison from 2010 to 2011.The crime category that has decreased the most from the previous
year are robberies. (2)
In comparison Wayne State Universities most reported crime is larceny last year 225 cases
occurred on campus while 5,693 acts of larceny occurred in the city at large, it is ranked the second
most common crime. Acts of Larceny on campus account for 25% of the cities larceny crimes
committed. During acts of larceny the most targeted items are laptops, cell phones, purses and
jewelry. To avoid this it is best to conceal your laptop in a book bag not a laptop carrying case,
conceal jewelry if possible or don’t ware any and place your purse in your book bag if possible.
(2),(3)
Wayne State University provides a new student crime orientation to alert new students. “The new
employee or student’s first exposure to our crime awareness efforts occurs at their Orientation. These
mandatory orientations provide the new student and employee with the policies and procedures to
report criminal actions or other emergencies on campus, discuss the security of and access to various
campus facilities, describe the campus law enforcement resources available to them for routine and
emergency services and, discuss the common types of crime that can occur on our campus and the
necessary steps that should be taken so as not to fall victim to these crimes. Specific orientation
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sessions are held for new students, transfer students, new staff and faculty. “This is a good program
for students that are not familiar with the Detroit area to become aware of the crimes that occur and
how to prevent becoming a victim. (3)
Forbes ranked Detroit as one of the most violent cities, however many students on the Wayne
state university campus feel safe. One student stated that her first day on campus, I saw someone
getting arrested, but in the two years that I’ve been here, it’s the only (crime-) related incident that I
have witnessed,” LeMieux said. “If anything, it made me feel safer because the campus police were
taking action to make the Wayne State campus a safer place.” LeMieux is not a Detroit native and
viewed the city very negatively before she attended Wayne State University. (1)
The University Cultural Center Association (UCCA) has devised a plan to redevelopment plan to
better one of the worst areas in Detroit. Along with other investors such as the
West Canfield
Historic Neighborhood Association and Midtown Alliance, they plan to create neighborhood
improvement and develop a crime abatement program for the community. Majority of the areas are
private property and are in poor condition. Based on the maps layout there 40 sectors that display
potential to be redeveloped. This program was initiated in January of 2009 so far $68.7 million has
been invested in residential properties like the Studio One apartments and the 3550 Cass/Davenport
apartments. (5)
Finally, students must always be aware of their surroundings. When students are not aware this
puts them in dangerous positions not only on campus but public places in general. Notifications such
as removing headphones on campus to jogging in groups decrease the chance of a crime occurring on
campus. Students should have the Wayne State Universities emergency phone numbers saved in their
contacts for quick access if or to prevent a crime from occurring.
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