Recent violence around Drake University’s campus has made some students feel uneasy about the neighborhood. However, there is no evidence to suggest there’s a substantial rise in violent crime around Drake.
On Feb. 18, a campus-wide alert was sent out to all students and faculty at Drakethat shots were fired from vehicles traveling southbound by 25th Street and University Avenue. This alert came after a Jan. 22 alert of shots fired at Walgreens on the corner of 31st Street and University Avenue.
According to the Feb. 18 Des Moines Police report, obtained by The Times-Delphic via a Freedom of Information Act request, witnesses said the occupants of one vehicle yelled something at the other which caused them to fire “four to five rounds” in their direction before chasing each other down 25th Street. The case has since been suspended, and no arrests have been made.
According to the Feb. 18 Des Moines Police report obtained by The Times-Delphic via a Freedom of Information Act request, officer Zachary McCarthy was first to arrive on scene at approximately 1:06 p.m.
“Information provided by dispatch indicated that two vehicles were involved and the occupants of one vehicle [were] shooting at the other,” stated the report.
In the report, witnesses said the occupants of one vehicle yelled something at the other which caused them to fire “four to five rounds” in their direction before chasing each other down 25th Street. The case has since been suspended, and no arrests have been made.
Similarly, the Jan. 22 incident was between two individuals in the parking lot of Walgreens across from Drake’s campus. According to the police report, victim James Patrick was walking into Walgreens when the suspect walked past him and made a comment that he wasn’t fully able to hear. When Patrick turned back to look, the suspect had pulled out a gun. Patrick began questioning the individual who in turn fired “four to five rounds” in Patrick’s direction before fleeing south toward Brattleboro Avenue.
Patrick was not injured and the suspect was never caught. The case has since been suspended. The Des Moines Police Department did not comment on the suspension of the Feb. 18 or Jan. 22 shootings.
“Getting Bulldog Alerts for increased violence right outside the campus perimeter is scary. It worries me that there is a rise in these crimes because it can trickle into campus,” said junior Thomas Karandjeff.
Karandjeff lives in the Drake West Village apartment complex just off of campus. While he hasn’t witnessed any of these crimes firsthand, he knows people who have. It raises his fears to think that anyone he knows could be a future victim.
He said he feels safe and comfortable in West Village because it requires keycard access and he is located on the fourth floor.
“I think everyone is a bit on edge. We’re all keeping an eye out and our heads on a swivel,” said junior AJ Britten. “Thankfully I’ve been away from a lot of it, but it is one of those things that you can’t help but wonder ‘If I accidentally end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, what if I’m caught in the crossfire?’”
Britten lives on 27th Street across from Old Main. He said he currently feels safe at his house but does worry that violence could make its way down his street next.
“It could very easily be a lapse in judgment. I’m not paying attention for even a moment, and then all of a sudden I’m in harm’s way,” Britten said. “[My roommates] and I all agree that the moment we step foot outside our house, we gotta keep a constant eye on what’s happening around us.”
Britten and Karandjeff both agree that since their first year they feel it has progressively gotten worse with this academic year being the worst. Despite their feelings, according to Drake’s 2023 Annual Crime Report, there hasn’t been any substantial difference in crimes committed in the last three years.
Senior Richard Lock, who lives just south of campus on Cottage Grove Avenue, said he personally feels safe. He said he’s definitely noticed the increase in violence since his first year, but most of the time it doesn’t phase him and he feels relatively safe. Lock is originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“I come from a place where fights and violence happen all the time. [Drake] is a safe haven in comparison,” Lock said. “I’m not afraid anything’s going to happen to me or my house. I feel safe. We lock our doors at night, lock our cars and just don’t do anything stupid that would put us in harm’s way. I’m fine, I know the risks.”
Despite student concerns, the area around Drake has not seen any change in violent crime in the last two years, according to FOIAed police documents and news articles of incidents. Crimes have either been committed on or just off campus — defined in this case as within a quarter mile radius of Drake’s main campus.
According to the various compiled documents, in the 2022-2023 academic year, there were a total of eight violent crimes that occurred on or just off campus. Of these crimes, six were shootings that resulted in five deaths and three injuries. The other two crimes consisted of a hit-and-run that resulted in one death and reported mugging attempts on campus.
So far during the 2023-2024 academic year, there have been a total reported five violent crimes on or just off campus, none of which have resulted in any deaths. There was one reported injury from a Drake student who was assaulted at a DART bus stop in September.
Naturally, these statistics raise student concerns for safety, especially during events like the Drake Relays, which tend to draw crowds in the tens of thousands from all over.
Senior Victoria Soliz said they are more concerned about students hurting each other — whether intentionally or not — than students getting hurt by someone from off campus, especially during Relays.
“I know students sometimes kind of go haywire, and there’s going to be a lot of people here on campus,” Soliz said. “It’s a little concerning, but there’s nothing I can do, so hopefully I can trust [Drake] to keep us safe.”
Soliz said they feel relatively safe on and around campus and they only have to take regular precautions.
Director of Drake Public Safety Scott Law said the department works closely with the Des Moines Police Department for heightened security for Relays.
“Relays is the one time of the year none of my officers get to take time off. Everyone is on call,” Law said. “We have a strong relationship with [Des Moines] Police, and Fire and Rescue. We also hire a third-party security company, [so] we are covered on all ends.”
He said that part of planning for Relays, which was done in September, involves working with all law enforcement departments to discuss what went well last year and what needs to be improved.
Law explained that DPS and DMPD, in conjunction with Metro STAR (a specialized unit within the Department of Homeland Security), lay out and plan for every worst-case scenario that could occur so a rapid response can begin and minimum casualties can be inflicted.
“We have extra cameras everywhere [provided by] Des Moines, police will have their mobile command center on sight and every single official is on alert,” Law said.
Law added that the added security is not just to campus but for the entire area around campus. He understands students who feel weary traveling off campus given the recent violence but wanted to reassure everyone that there will be extra patrols and that he does not believe anyone is in danger.
“Unfortunately, it is the reality of the world we live in that we have to proceed with caution in a lot of areas,” Law said. “What I say to students is: take advantage of the resources available. Do not hesitate to call for any reason whatsoever. Even if it’s nothing, we would rather you feel safe than have something bad end up happening.”
Resources for students include the Safe Ride Bus, of which two or three will be running during Relays, according to Law; download and have on hand the Rave Guardian App; and students have medical amnesty.
He suggested students travel in groups and report anything suspicious on or off campus.
“I do not think that at any time throughout the year students should feel unsafe, especially if they’re aware of their surroundings and take reasonable precautions,” Law said.
If students have any questions, concerns or need to report an incident they can call Drake Public Safety at (515) 271-2222.
Arnold said that potential students and parents concerned about the neighborhood’s safety often ask about the 1992 Drake Diner murders, in which two managers were killed. Arnold said the event created a persistent narrative that the Drake neighborhood is dangerous.
Unfortunately, that narrative persists within people’s minds whenever they hear Drake neighborhood, Drake University. And given that this neighborhood is an urban neighborhood and it enjoys ethnic racial, age, ability diversity — that I love — but for other people is different than what their lived experience has been. And sometimes we as human beings are afraid of what’s different. I think that there is that kind of initial response of, ‘It’s different. Am I safe? Oh, I heard about, my grandparents talked about, is this place safe?’
In early 2022, I looked at the census results from the 2020 census and also looked at crime statistics for the Drake neighborhood versus other neighborhoods in Des Moines. And the Drake neighborhood is statistically safer than other neighborhoods in Des Moines, even neighborhoods that people don’t have that same negative stereotype about…I truly believe that typically what we’re dealing with is perception issues more than reality. My family and I have lived in this neighborhood for 11 years. And we have found it an incredibly welcoming, generous, thoughtful, engaging neighborhood, to live to work to enjoy life. And I hope that other people have that same experience.
