Police urge caution after crime wave

After a recent wave of violent crime in the city surrounding IU, Bloomington Police Department officials urged students and all Bloomington residents to remember standard safety precautions.

BPD Lt. Bill Parker said it’s important not to ignore safety recommendations that have been issued to students countless times before.

“My recommendations continue to be the general ones, which we do believe are effective,” Parker said. “It is particularly important for anyone to go in at least a small group late at night and to avoid those who make you feel uncomfortable in their approach or demeanor.”

Safety is not just a priority on the streets at night, he said.

“At home, don’t allow ‘crashers’ at your get-together,” Parker said. “If someone is around outside or banging on your door that you didn’t invite there, again, call 911 for help.”

The recent uptick in crime in Bloomington, including the fatal shooting of Pizza X driver Adam Sarnecki on Nov. 4, has caused some students to question the safety of the
surrounding city.

“I think Bloomington as a city has (begun to appear less safe),” junior Daniel Violi said. “I say that because there’s been ... all that highly publicized stuff, but I don’t think campus is any more or less dangerous.”

He said he does not attribute this to any changes in the city’s safety policies in general.

“I don’t think anything has changed necessarily, but I think I’m more aware that Bloomington isn’t as safe as I thought it was at night,” Violi said.

The police also do not point to a singular reason behind the recent crimes, and they are not concerned with pinpointing a root cause, Parker said.

Parker also said he is hesitant to characterize the recent crimes as being part of a spike, though they are abnormal.

“Two bank robberies and two homicides in one month are more than we typically have,” Parker said.

This heightened alertness among students and residents should remind people to stick to logical safety precautions, he said.

“Citizens are rightly concerned about any crime and can count on our best efforts in preventing them or solving them when necessary,” Parker said.