University police chief responds to recent crime on campus

Chief Greg Hestness
University of Minnesota Police Chief Greg Hestness
MPR Photo/Tim Post

Crime on and around the University of Minnesota campus is in the spotlight after recent high-profile incidents. A few weeks ago there was an attempted robbery in the middle of the day at Anderson Hall and last weekend a student was sexually assaulted by a man who appears to have posed as a uniformed officer.

An online petition from students asking for more police presence now has more than 3,200 signatures and University President Eric Kaler rode along with police recently during overnight hours to get a firsthand look at police work around campus.

Greg Hestness, University chief of police, told The Daily Circuit he is worried about the recent uptick in crime, but Sunday's assault especially upset him because it apparently involved someone impersonating a police officer at a time when other recent crimes have people looking to police for help.