Additional Information on Feb. 16 Safety Alert

Dear Marquette community,

As chief of the Marquette University Police Department, I am providing some additional context and next steps following the safety alert incident last night, in which a stray bullet from gunfire nearly half a mile away – outside of MUPD’s patrol zone – penetrated a window at Wells St. Hall at The Commons. I want to assure you that the Marquette University Police Department was on the scene immediately. MUPD officers and Resident Assistants went door to door in Wells St. Hall to check on all residents and confirmed that no one in the building was injured. Students in Wells St. Hall have been offered counseling and spiritual support. Milwaukee Police Department canvassed the area of the shooting last night and the bullet casings have been sent for testing. The Milwaukee Police investigation is ongoing, with assistance from MUPD. The entire Marquette community is grateful that no one was injured.

As campus safety is paramount, we continue to enhance safety measures, such as:

• We are launching a Safety Task Force, co-chaired by myself and an undergraduate student, to review best practices and determine additional education, communication and community partnership efforts to improve campus safety. The task force will include representation from students, faculty, staff and current parents.
• We are collaborating with the Milwaukee Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office to discuss gun violence in Milwaukee.
• We are increasing database-informed policing and are hiring an MUPD data analyst, which will help us direct patrols to high activity areas within our patrol zone.

An integral part of the Jesuit educational experience is being located in an urban community. Because of that, Marquette invests significant resources in ensuring that our students, faculty and staff feel safe and secure while on campus. MUPD has more than 80 trained professionals and sworn officers who help ensure the safety and security of campus and the surrounding neighborhood 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There are more than 450 blue light phones around campus for students to use to summon assistance at any time and our MUPD Command Information Center provides virtual patrolling and additional “eyes on the street” through more than 1,100 TV surveillance cameras both on and off campus.

To create a safer city, we must address the root causes of violence. Five years ago, Marquette was a founding partner – along with four other major institutions located in our neighborhood – in creating Near West Side Partners, a non-profit economic development organization. Working closely with the NWSP Community Prosecution Unit — led by an assistant district attorney — NWSP collaborates daily with government agencies, MPD and community-based organizations to improve the quality of life in the Near West Side through intervention strategies that reduce crime and prevent domestic violence. Since NWSP was created, the entire neighborhood has seen double-digit decreases in crime. We will work together with MPD and NWSP leadership to continue this trend.

In addition to devoting significant time and resources to increase prosperity and address violence in our surrounding neighborhoods, Marquette remains vigilant in our protection of the campus community, and will continue to do everything possible to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff and surrounding neighborhood.

Sincerely,

Edith Hudson
Chief
Marquette University Police Department