After last Wednesday night’s alleged robbery at gunpoint on Shamrock Road, about which the University community received an e-mail Thursday, some students are more aware of their safety.
Since the incident, students living in the areas around Shamrock Road have been “more conscious,” third-year College student Clay Abel said. “We’ve been walking with people after dark and making sure our friends make it home safely.”
Fourth-year Engineering student Susan Brooks said she is trying to watch out for her own safety as well as others’ safety by driving friends home if necessary.
“I definitely do not walk home in the dark anymore,” Brooks said.
Both Abel and Brooks said this incident has changed their attitudes about the safety of housing on Jefferson Park Avenue and the side of Grounds near Scott Stadium.
“I originally thought that JPA or other neighborhood areas would be more safe because there are more families living here,” Brooks said. “But that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Abel noted that he and his roommates did not even lock their doors before the incident occurred.
“We wouldn’t even close the doors,” Abel said. “I definitely thought the stadium side was [safer] and quieter, so it’s definitely been a big shift.”
Although some students are concerned about their safety in the area, University Police Lieut. Melissa Fielding stated in an e-mail that students can take certain steps to help ensure their safety.
“To be more alert to your surroundings, we suggest that you walk with your head up and scanning (looking around) your surroundings,” the e-mail states. “Make mental notes of the things happening around you [and] develop a plan of action by asking yourself ‘what if’ questions. For instance, if this happens then I will do x, y, z.”
Fielding also noted that students should trust their instincts about people and situations and report suspicious activity or people to the University and Charlottesville police.
“Please do not feel as if you are bothering the police; often these kinds of calls can prevent serious incidents from occurring,” Fielding stated. “We would much rather be called and not needed, than needed and not called.”
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