GO BIG READ
Full transcript interview with
‘A Tale for the Time Being’ author Ruth Ozeki +NEWS, page 4
Heading South
Redshirt senior safety Dezmen Southward prepared to take on the Buckeyes
University of Wisconsin-Madison Complete campus coverage since 1892
+SPORTS, page 8 l
dailycardinal.com
Thursday, September 26, 2013
University holds online chat about local crime By Megan Stoebig THE DAILY CARDINAL
Dean of Students Lori Berquam, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department and the Madison Police Department held a tweet chat Wednesday as the first in three upcoming events designed to share information and seek community input on campus safety following a recent increase in crime near campus. “We thought this would be a really great opportunity to be able to share what’s been going on and what we know, as well as share some important safety tips,” UWPD spokesperson Marc Lovicott said. Under the hashtag UWSafety, Lori Berquam, UWPD Chief Susan Riseling, MPD Captain Joe Balles and the UW-Madison twitter account answered questions from students and community members. Some of the main questions raised during the session were the cause for the increase in crime,
how the community can create a dialogue between students and police, as well as general questions about the Sept. 18 incident where a shot was fired on Langdon Street. UWPD responded that offcampus robbery incidents have increased from 26 in 2012 to 34 in 2012 from the period of May 1 to Sept. 23. A few suggestions from participants included providing WiscAlerts to the community,
bringing a SAFEride system back for students and adding more streetlights. During the chat, Berquam encouraged students walking at night to take off headphones, put away cell phones, walk in groups larger than 3 through well-lit areas and call SAFEwalk. The university will host two additional informational sessions with Berquam and Riseling in addition to other campus stakeholders.
More safety events this week Dean of Students Lori Berquam, University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department Chief Susan Riseling and Associated Students of Madison Chair David Gardner in addition to other campus stakeholders will hold a web chat Friday from 12 to 1 p.m. Those interested can join the chat at news.wisc.edu/chats/ safety_20130927.html
The third event will be a town hall meeting that will take place Sunday from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m in Tripp Commons of the Memorial Union, with Berquam and Riseling among other campus stakeholders, such as SafeWalk and ASM. The events are in response to the recent state of crime on and near University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus.
Four Mifflin Street homes broken into in same night Four houses on the 500 block of West Mifflin Street, a residential area close to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus and an area where many students live, were burglarized early Sunday morning, according to a Madison Police Department incident report. MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said in the report four separate buildings on the 500 block of West Mifflin Street. were broken into at approximately 3:30 a.m. In two cases, the suspects entered through unlocked doors, according to the police report. However, suspects gained entry into the other two homes through windows, DeSpain said in the incident report. DeSpain said in the report all four victims reported stolen electronics, money and other various belongings. According to police records, Madison residents that live in the greater campus area have reported 13 burglaries over the course of September.
on campus
Lighten up
University of Wisconsin-Madison police hand out free bike lights to students as part of a campaign to raise awareness of safe biking habits. + Photo by Will Chizek
Strong armed robberies up in city, armed robberies remain consistent The number of strong-armed robberies in Madison is up this year due to what the Madison Police Department is calling “Apple picking,” but armed robberies are not significantly higher than in any of the past five years.
In response to increased safety concerns, the MPD released five years worth of statistics about armed robberies, which involve a weapon, and strong-armed robberies Wednesday.
robberies page 3
Melissa Howison/the daily cardinal
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen awarded $25,000 to a Dane County drug taskforce to develop an anti-heroin campaign.
Grant to tackle heroin problem in Wisconsin By Melissa Howison the daily cardinal
Several statewide leadership and law-enforcement agencies are putting the rapid proliferation of heroin abuse in Wisconsin at the forefront of concern and teaming up with local organizations to educate people about treating the alarming problem. State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced Wednesday a $25,000 grant to the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force was designated to a new multimedia anti-heroin campaign the state Department of Justice created called The Fly Effect. “Heroin is a problem we don’t know how to deal with now,” Van Hollen said. “We need to find solutions.” According to Van Hollen, heroin overdoses statewide are escalating at an “astounding” rate, from 149 in 2007 to 300 in 2012. Furthermore, Madison Fire Chief Steven Davis said emergency personnel are increasingly finding two or three unresponsive indi-
viduals when they respond to the scene of a heroin overdose, whereas heroin overdoses were previously more isolated deaths. Madison Police Department Chief Noble Wray said heroin abuse is “unique” in that it impacts all demographics, and the current heroin problem in Wisconsin “isn’t fully realized.” He added if the number of heroin overdoses were instead homicides, the general public would be in a state of “crisis.” Safe Communities Executive Director Cheryl Wittke said part of the Dane County grant money will go toward a public education campaign. The $25,000 Van Hollen allotted to Dane County is a portion of the $125,000 being awarded to communities across the state. Wittke said Safe Communities is taking a preventative approach to reduce the heroin epidemic by teaching at-risk youths refusal skills as well as educating parents and teachers about early detection signs, such as common triggers of heroin use.
Freakfest organizers add musicians to 2013 lineup, including Neon Indian Freakfest organizers announced new additions to the Halloween bash’s line-up on the event’s Facebook page Wednesday, which include Neon Indian, 3LAU, Dirty Disco Kidz, Fort Wilson Riot and Gabe Burdullis. Frank Productions is throwing its seventh annual Halloween celebration on State Street Oct. 26, and for the first time in Freakfest his-
tory, University of WisconsinMadison’s radio station, WSUM, is contributing a new performance stage on the corner of Frances and State Street. Gabe Burdullis will open on the WSUM stage, followed by Vic and Gab, The Living Statues, The Sharrows and Boy Blue. Local hip-hop artists Smiley Gatmouth, CRASHprez and
freakfest page 3
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”