Urban Atlanta colleges tackle safety risks

By Bill Torpy

"Students are young, often naive and impetuous. They don't keep regular hours and often lack street smarts. ... College administrators and police forces know this. They also know a safe environment is key to parents sending their children to those institutions."

"Part of the solution is policing the campuses. Georgia Tech has 71 sworn officers and Georgia State has 66 patrolling by car, foot, bike and even Segway. Their job -- like cops anywhere -- is to make arrests, respond to calls and generally make their presence known. ..."

"Educating new students on the city's landscape is key to helping them make smart decisions, said Georgia Tech Police Chief Teresa Crocker. A lot of the advice given out by the colleges is no-brainer common sense: walk in pairs, be aware of surroundings, don't keep valuables in parked cars, don't be distracted by talking on cellphones when walking into parking garages. But young people, even smart ones like engineering students, don't always think of such things. ..."

Full article available at http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/05/17/atl...