In the midst of concern over student safety in off campus neighborhoods, UK Police Chief Joe Monroe explained that student neighborhood protection is a shared responsibility of the UK Police Department, the Lexington Police Department and students who can make responsible choices regarding their own safety.

Off campus student neighborhoods, like those on Maxwell Street and Woodland Avenue have seen several serious crimes recently. UK student and Kentucky Kernel staff member, Jonathan Krueger, 22, was shot and killed April 2015. Douglas Jordan, 27, was shot and killed in June of this year. The most recent crime in this area was the robbery of two UK students walking home from Kroger the morning of Sept. 1.

In the wake of these events, more are concerned about whether criminals are taking advantage of students walking home at night in these areas, and what safety precautions the university takes to protect students who live off campus. 

Many students have described conditions in the neighborhood as being “sketchy,” and while they would not base the overall safety of the community on the few incidents, they still would prefer not to live there.

UK student Matt Barber said that while he is aware that there are incidents of crime in the area, he still feels relatively safe living there and believes that the university is taking whatever safety precautions they can. He says that with SAFECATS escorts, as well as emergency alert buttons strategically placed around campus, the university is doing its job in campus safety and that the other half is students making responsible choices, such as not walking alone late at night.

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Monroe said that the university also reports a crime bulletin for the university’s jurisdiction as well as alerts for crimes that may put students in immediate danger. However, Monroe said that the university police only have jurisdiction over university owned or occupied properties and specific areas of off campus neighborhoods.

According to Monroe, UK is only responsible for the area near the north side of Maxwell Street from South Limestone to Rose Street. Outside of that, the Lexington Police Department would be responsible for responding to incidents since it is under their jurisdiction.

The university also offers a variety of safe options for students to take advantage of when traveling at night. These options include SAFECATS, which allows students to request an escort on campus from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. Kentucky Wildcab, a Student Government Association program that offers free rides for students around campus 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays. There is also the on-demand night bus, which is an on-call shuttle that operates from midnight until 5 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, and Sunday from 7 p.m. until midnight that students can call or text to get picked up.