This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
News

Joint patrols begin in University Heights

  • The ultimate showman, P.T. Barnum,
proved to be the inspiration for Cynthia Wu’s current book
project. Photo: DOUGLAS LEVERE

    Photo: DOUGLAS LEVERE

    “The university is committed to this partnership and to quality of life on and near the campus.”

    Dennis R. Black
    Vice President for Student Affairs
By JOHN DELLACONTRADA
Published: August 28, 2009

Officers from the Buffalo Police Department, University at Buffalo and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority have begun new joint patrols along Main Street in Buffalo in a collaborative effort to continue improving safety and quality of life in University Heights.

The joint patrols will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. They will include patrols on bikes and Segway Personal Transporters purchased by UB. The university also has purchased two new security cameras for the Buffalo Police Department, installed on Main Street at the corners of Englewood and LaSalle avenues. The new cameras are in addition to the three cameras purchased by UB for the Buffalo Police Department in the fall of 2008.

UB has spent more than $200,000 on the security measures in University Heights over the past two years, as part of its collaboration with the City of Buffalo. On UB’s South Campus, 76 new security cameras, monitored by UB Police, and 19 new emergency blue light systems have been installed over the past year, in addition to extensive new exterior lighting installed throughout the campus.

“These new initiatives demonstrate the seriousness of the city’s and the university’s commitment to reducing crime and enhancing quality of life in our community,” says Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown.

Bike and Segway patrols permit officers to be highly visible and are effective in patrolling defined areas with large groups of people, Brown notes.

As part of the collaborative effort, the Buffalo Police Department will increase the presence of daily patrols in the neighborhood and will focus its Mobile Response Unit on pockets of criminal activity in the neighborhood, the mayor says.

Dennis R. Black, UB vice president of student affairs, says the joint patrols and new security cameras are the latest examples of UB’s continued commitment to improving safety and quality of life in the neighborhood that borders UB’s South Campus, working in collaboration with the City of Buffalo and neighborhood residents.

“All residents, yearlong and through the academic year, seek safer neighborhoods through visibility, response and coordination,” Black says. “The university is committed to this partnership and to quality of life on and near the campus.”

Black notes that on Aug. 26 UB volunteers distributed information packets containing safety and good-neighbor tips to more than 2,700 homes in University Heights. On Sunday, Sept. 6, UB will hold a “Neighbor’s Day Block Party and Safety Fair” on its South Campus for students and community members.

Reader Comments

Shasha Tao says:

I think it is so necessary to enhance security level at University Heights. I live on Heath St., less than one block away from Main St.. Just a couple of days ago, someone intended to break into my house through window. He/she stood on top of the garbage can and cut my kitchen window screen wide open. For some reason, maybe he/she was spotted, so nothing was lost. But I was horrified!! Many UB students live in University Heights, we want a secure living environment around, and we want to be able to walk home at night alone without anything bad happen to us.

Posted by Shasha Tao, graduate student, 09/04/09