Why Downtown Phoenix ISN’T Scary

When Andres Cano decided to attend the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism he knew he would be required to live on the Downtown Campus – a move he was excited about making.

“I didn’t fear living or being downtown because it’s such a lively atmosphere,” says Cano, a freshman from Tucson. “Safety should not be a concern … I think a huge part is the amount of activity going on downtown because of sports and concerts.”

The shift in tone among the freshmen student body is one of anticipation rather than apprehension about what Downtown Phoenix has to offer. The biggest obstacle the city faces in its second year of full-scale operation is promoting an urban atmosphere, not security concern, a feeling that resonates with both students and ASU Downtown Campus police.

The campus has many opportunities to advance the understanding of community – and safety by extension – as the student body increases, says Commander Richard Wilson of the ASU Police Department – Downtown Bureau.

Non-profit leadership and management student Samuel Richard agrees. Richard, a third-year student and downtown Phoenix native, says that downtown’s stigma of being a crime haven is the result of misguided perceptions that trace by to the 1980s.

“Downtown Phoenix is not a geography, it’s a lifestyle,” Richard says. “Downtown is unpredictable, [the] opposite of a conformed, suburban lifestyle. This is where it’s exciting.”

Still, Richard says getting the public to see this side of downtown is difficult. People may come downtown to watch a ballgame or check out First Friday, but they don’t stay down here or indulge in any of the businesses. Few people reside within the confines of downtown proper because of an unwariness of the area, due in large part to the homeless population.

The influx of homeless persons in downtown Phoenix stems entirely from the 1980s and societal movements to “remove undesirables” from suburban areas. This “not in my backyard” caused everything from homeless shelters to aid centers to relocate downtown and the transient population followed, Richard adds.

“Homelessness is the nature of an urban city,” Commander Wilson says. The Phoenix Police Department works directly with the homeless population, focusing on getting them to move along into shelters. Similarly, the orange-shirted Copper Square Ambassadors know those living in the city — often by name — and are able to assist them based on need while keeping them off the streets.

Wilson adds that the homeless continue to call downtown Phoenix home because they feel it is safe. With all the police in the area there is a decreased chance of fighting and mugging within the homeless community, so downtown becomes home.

“Downtown is more safety conscious as a community,” Wilson says.

This feeling of security is direct result of the university’s luxury of starting this campus from the ground up and being in total control throughout the entirety of the project, Wilson says; allowing ASU police to “set the tone” for security.

“People are hesitant to come downtown in general, if safety became a real issue they would be more reluctant to do so,” Wilson says

Both the ASU police force and the Phoenix Police  have a strong partnership, says Wilson. Additionally, businesses downtown have their own private security companies that communicate with both police forces.

Wilson says that this type of security discussion makes it almost impossible for large-scale crime to happen in the area. Though the safety statistics from 2008 have yet to be published, in 2007 there were two documented cases of forced sexual offenses and aggravated assaults on-campus. The most common crime is that of theft: there were 14 cases of larceny and 16 on-campus burglaries in 2007, statistics reflective of a growing population and crimes of accessibility.

Crimes of opportunity are the most prevalent and can be easily avoided, Wilson says. These include things from “smash and grabs” where the contents of vehicles are stolen, to stealing from commercial buildings.

The best way to prevent being the victim of crime? Be in the moment, says Wilson.

“Everyone is behaviorally present somewhere else,” says Wilson – noting cellphones and iPods as being responsible for this disconnect. “You are walking down an urban street. There’s a time when it’s appropriate to unplug.”

By being present in the moment and paying attention to not only the surrounding area, but also one’s own gut instincts, the chances of being a target of crime diminish substantially. In fact, Wilson says, the majority of offenses in the downtown area occur within prostitution or drug rings – both of which have left downtown in recent years, migrating further south.

“I don’t feel threatened with downtown Phoenix at all,” Cano says. “Explore, go beyond campus, see how lively downtown is.” He adds that it is “important to know your roots” and going deeper into the area is a way to achieve that.

In fact, the only safety advancements Cano would like to see around the campus would be an increase in the blue emergency lights.

“They are important and really enhance the feeling of safety,” Cano says. “[I] felt comfort in knowing I could push this button in case I was in an emergency.”

ASU police are working toward developing a security measure similar to those already in place on the Tempe campus that would ensure student safety and place some of that responsibility on students themselves. One such measure would be a student-run escort service, which would allow police to focus on safety directly around the campus and Taylor Place dorm.

Furthermore, Wilson says this would provide a “leaping off for a career” for those students in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, which is based on the Downtown campus as well.

Cano says one of the reasons he wanted to be downtown was due to the campus’ proximity to job opportunities and because it “allows students to see what a career is like.”

Wilson says that for all the fear about city crime affecting the student population, students need to remember that ASU is a college environment with college crime.

“Instead of being focused on an external threat students need to be aware of the threat within,” Wilson says. Internal threats and crime, many of which are alcohol related, are the biggest safety concern on campus.

“You’re at your greatest risk when you’re most complacent,” Wilson says.

Contact the reporter at janessa.hilliard@asu.edu.

Tagged as: downtown phoenix, safety