Armed Robbery Reports Have UALR Students Putting Safety in Spotlight
By: Marci Manley, KARK 4 News
Updated: November 12, 2012
"If I had to walk out of here by myself no I would not feel safe," said student Robin Earnest.
A walk across campus at the University of Arkansas Little Rock leaves Earnest with little time to appreciate the fall foliage, because thoughts about her own safety are always rolling.
Like last Wednesday, when a man who didn't appear to be a UALR student started following her as the day drew to dusk.
"I was walking down this way and got to the end of the student center, no one else was around and he was within a few steps of me," she said. "I came back into the building looking for someone and no one knew what to do. I asked the guy at the desk, and he didn't know what to tell me."
Reports of two armed robberies on campus in roughly a month have her and other students on high alert.
"What do we do? Are we going to panic? What's going to happen?" Earnest said are questions that are asked often.
She points out problem areas: a lack of identifying students from non-students across campus, too few emergency contact options, lighting issues between buildings and to surrounding parking lots at night, and what she perceives to be a lack of police patrols.
"I'd like to see all students required to wear an I.D. badge so you know who you're dealing with," she said. "And I'd like to see police around more. I only saw my first officer on campus in two years today."
But Vice Chancellor Bob Adams said safety is always at students' fingertips in emergency phones.
"If there's anybody or anything that doesn't look right go ahead and call public safety," he said. "People simply hit a button on these and you're connected to dispatch."
And he said security can also come at their sides -- with other students.
"Try to always go with a partner if they are going to be out walking," he said. "And if you don't feel safe you can always call Public Safety to provide you a ride escort to your car."
But students like Earnest who aren't allowed to take cell phones to class, say there aren't enough emergency poles across campus.
"There's one from the end of the student center and from there to the parking garage there's nothing," she said. "From the other direction, there are some at the parking lot themselves, but once you start to reach buildings there isn't any way to communicate. You better hope you can holler loud enough for someone to hear you."
"They are strategically located where we think the traffic is," Adams noted. "We put those where we think students will most likely see them. I'm not sure how many exactly we have, but they are placed around campus."
Adams also pointed to police patrols and security cameras across campus to help deter crime.
"Someone knows they're going to be on camera and caught if they do commit a crime," he said. "Students just need to be aware of their surroundings. They need to be safe, and report anything suspicious to public safety and police."
Earnest knows she's taken all the right steps to stay safe on campus, but the fear is still something that's harder to leave behind.
"It's just difficult to say I just can't go up here anymore because of my safety," she said.
Here is a list of available Emergency Contacts students might find helpful:
Emergency Contacts
UALR Department of Public Safety 501.569.3400
Little Rock Police Department 501.371.4617
Litttle Rock Fire Department 501.371.4829
Poison Control 800.376.4766
UALR Health Services 501.569.3188
UAMS Hospital Emergency Room 24 Hours 501.686.6333
St. Vincent Infirmary / Medical Center 501.660.2680
Baptist Medical Center 501.202.2300
University Hospital (UAMS) 501.686.6333
St. Vincent Doctors Hospital 501.603.6000
Rape Crisis Inc. 24 Hour Hotline 501.801.2700
Sexual Assault Center 24 Hour Hotline 501.801.2700
A walk across campus at the University of Arkansas Little Rock leaves Earnest with little time to appreciate the fall foliage, because thoughts about her own safety are always rolling.
Like last Wednesday, when a man who didn't appear to be a UALR student started following her as the day drew to dusk.
"I was walking down this way and got to the end of the student center, no one else was around and he was within a few steps of me," she said. "I came back into the building looking for someone and no one knew what to do. I asked the guy at the desk, and he didn't know what to tell me."
Reports of two armed robberies on campus in roughly a month have her and other students on high alert.
"What do we do? Are we going to panic? What's going to happen?" Earnest said are questions that are asked often.
She points out problem areas: a lack of identifying students from non-students across campus, too few emergency contact options, lighting issues between buildings and to surrounding parking lots at night, and what she perceives to be a lack of police patrols.
"I'd like to see all students required to wear an I.D. badge so you know who you're dealing with," she said. "And I'd like to see police around more. I only saw my first officer on campus in two years today."
But Vice Chancellor Bob Adams said safety is always at students' fingertips in emergency phones.
"If there's anybody or anything that doesn't look right go ahead and call public safety," he said. "People simply hit a button on these and you're connected to dispatch."
And he said security can also come at their sides -- with other students.
"Try to always go with a partner if they are going to be out walking," he said. "And if you don't feel safe you can always call Public Safety to provide you a ride escort to your car."
But students like Earnest who aren't allowed to take cell phones to class, say there aren't enough emergency poles across campus.
"There's one from the end of the student center and from there to the parking garage there's nothing," she said. "From the other direction, there are some at the parking lot themselves, but once you start to reach buildings there isn't any way to communicate. You better hope you can holler loud enough for someone to hear you."
"They are strategically located where we think the traffic is," Adams noted. "We put those where we think students will most likely see them. I'm not sure how many exactly we have, but they are placed around campus."
Adams also pointed to police patrols and security cameras across campus to help deter crime.
"Someone knows they're going to be on camera and caught if they do commit a crime," he said. "Students just need to be aware of their surroundings. They need to be safe, and report anything suspicious to public safety and police."
Earnest knows she's taken all the right steps to stay safe on campus, but the fear is still something that's harder to leave behind.
"It's just difficult to say I just can't go up here anymore because of my safety," she said.
Here is a list of available Emergency Contacts students might find helpful:
Emergency Contacts
UALR Department of Public Safety 501.569.3400
Little Rock Police Department 501.371.4617
Litttle Rock Fire Department 501.371.4829
Poison Control 800.376.4766
UALR Health Services 501.569.3188
UAMS Hospital Emergency Room 24 Hours 501.686.6333
St. Vincent Infirmary / Medical Center 501.660.2680
Baptist Medical Center 501.202.2300
University Hospital (UAMS) 501.686.6333
St. Vincent Doctors Hospital 501.603.6000
Rape Crisis Inc. 24 Hour Hotline 501.801.2700
Sexual Assault Center 24 Hour Hotline 501.801.2700
