Robberies on, near U of M campus down this fall

The number of robberies on and around the University of Minnesota campus this fall is on track to be lower than the semester average.

At the mid-point of the fall reporting period of September through November, university police have received reports of seven robberies including one on campus, Police Chief Greg Hestness told regents today.

"We typically see 19 over the three fall months," Hestness said. "So we're not satisfied with that, but it's more of a normal pattern at the present time."

During the high-profile crime spike during the fall of last year, 26 robberies occurred on and off campus. But many of the robberies last happened in October and November, so campus police are still wary.

But Sgt. James Nystrom says a recent crackdown on underage and public drinking around the U may have helped matters this fall.

"The focus for me this year was to just get out there and let students who are underage know that they're putting themselves at risk by drinking alcohol and being out in the public like that," Nystrom said.

During three recent weekends, police issued 138 alcohol-related citations.