U-M groups, Ann Arbor police team up to stress safety

The efforts follow a series of attacks, including two rapes, on women this summer

Among the materials students will receive are a Beyond the Diag welcome packet, including information about off-campus life and safety, tips for being a good neighbor, responsible party planning and fire safety information. Residents will also be encouraged to leave the lights on outside their homes and apartment doors, walk with trusted friends when possible, keep their apartment, house and vehicle doors locked at all times and to report suspicious behavior.

“We want students to be able to identify with the neighborhood they live in and to create greater access to the main safety programs and resources the university has to offer,” said student safety assistant Josh Buoy in a statement.

This is the first year for the effort, dubbed Beyond the Diag. The door-to-door initiative will mainly focus on the Oxbridge and East Packard neighborhoods. The program will expand into other areas of Ann Arbor in the next 2 years.

Ann Arbor police and U-M public safety officers have already stepped up their patrols in the neighborhoods after the attacks that took place earlier this summer. Ann Arbor police have gone door to door to houses in the area, making residents aware of the situation regarding the sexual assaults and distributing the composite sketches of the suspected rapist, or rapists.

The Beyond the Diag program has set up a Facebook page and Twitter account. The program has also consolidated all late-night transportation phone numbers into one new program called SafeRide, which can be reached at (734) 647-8000.