MINNEAPOLIS — Friday afternoon a new University of Minnesota safety center opened off-campus in Dinkytown. The space was built to address a concerning spike in crime in the neighborhood in recent years.
"Yeah, I feel, like, a little safer, I'd say," student Lisa Guan said. "Just having the police, like, patrolling around the area."
University police and Minneapolis police collaborated with local leaders to create a new space where students can feel safe even when they’re off campus.
“We've heard the concerns over the last two years that I've been here, both from parents and students on campus about safety, on this part of town, and this safety center opening today is an example that we are listening, that those concerns are being heard,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
The new safety center isn’t like a typical police station. The center does feature a room in the back where officers can work and file police reports, but the rest of the center is open to anyone who has a campus ID card.
That presence is something Mike Olson with the Campus Safety Coalition says will help.
"This is an extremely positive step in the right direction, and it will have an effect," Olson said. "It just brings attention to some of the concerning behavior that's that's occurred down there at various times."
"What we saw today is more and more people coming together and starting to address that," he continued, speaking about crime issues in the area.
The center has study areas and meeting rooms for students and staff, as well as a training room where students can receive self-defense training, or meet with a legal expert if they are having a dispute with their landlord.
Officials say the center will also host financial fraud classes for students who want to learn more about protecting their identity online.
The center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m.