Dive Brief:
- Wayne State University’s policing philosophy has helped revitalize the 4-square-mile area around the campus in Midtown Detroit, reports the New York Times.
- Wayne State’s police force is the primary law enforcement agency in the area, and it spends most of its time operating off-campus.
- University police are commissioned by the Detroit Police Department to have the same policing powers as city police, and the university’s force accounted for 61% of the arrests made in Midtown in 2014.
Dive Insight:
It seems obvious from the New York Times article that the surrounding community holds Wayne State in high regard, basically crediting the school with helping to turn the area around from both an economic and public safety perspective. In 2009, the school decided to expand its police coverage to include the surrounding community — and not just when on-campus investigations led off campus — to alleviate the top concern of students at the school, and to draw new residents to the area. Midtown’s retail vacancy rate has dropped to 10%, compared to 22% six years ago, and the residential occupancy rate is 97%. The school has also doubled its force from six years ago, to 60, and monitors 850 security cameras.
Ultimately, it's a great example of how a university can improve its standing and visibility in the local community.