Blue-Light Emergency Phones

The emergency phone system updates were completely implemented by 2010. The crime rate on campus took a dramatic dive in 2011. At first glance, this seems like a positive result of the changes. The crime rate around Rice University has not changed between 2010 and 2017, so the change must have come from Rice itself. However, a closer look at the crime data that Rice reports annually reveals a clue to the sudden decrease: burglaries. Burglaries made up the vast majority of crime reported before 2011, when they suddenly decreased. The amount of other crimes reported other than rape did not change significantly.

The drop in burglaries is most likely unrelated to the updates to the emergency phone system. Burglaries are defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "entry into a building illegally with intent to commit a crime, especially theft." This would be very hard to prevent using the emergency phone system, as emergency phones are mostly placed along walkways or around residence halls and parking areas on campus, and according to the data from the Department of Education the majority of burglaries did not occur in the residence halls. In addition, the emergency phones located in parking areas are mostly in the parking structure near Lovett. This parking structure was not built until 2017, so the large number of emergency phones located there (over 20!) could not have have been the cause of the large drop in 2011. The ones located in other parking lots are sparsely scattered around the edges of the lot and are difficult to locate in the sea of cars.

The fact that Rice does not include theft in this report points to one possible explanation for the sudden drop in a previously high burglary rate: there might have been a change to how Rice defined "burglary". If this was the case, many burglaries would be reclassified as theft. Another possible explanation that I believe is most likely is that Rice might have updated their building security systems and police patrol routes while implementing the emergency phone updates.

Regardless of which of these theories are correct, it seems reasonable to conclude that the emergency phone updates alone did not cause the steep drop in crime. There were most likely other security changes that were implemented at the same time.

If the emergency phones alone don't have that big of an impact on crime rate, what about their impact on students? I asked three Rice students their opinions on the emergency phones to find out. Quoted here are Carrigan H. (junior), Anthony N. (sophomore), Cici D. (freshman), and Michelle M. (freshman).

P: Do you believe that the blue-light emergency phones deter crime?

CH: I do think the blue-light phones may deter crime but not the crime that Rice tends to face. Laptop and bike thefts are still really common because they are usually subtle enough to go unnoticed. More aggressive, noticeable crimes, however, may be deterred by the lights.

AN: I honestly am not sure of the actual data around usage, but I feel like it’s more of something to show off and pretend like it’s useful.

CD: I think it should, even though I myself hardly notice the blue-light emergency phones. But I think they should serve some purpose. They should help deterring crime but I don't know how effective they will be. I mean, I've never encountered any crime myself.

MM: I do not believe the blue-light emergency phones deter crime because you hear about incidents happening on campus (like the incident with the cars at North lot this week) but you never hear of people using the blue-lights.

P: Do the emergency phones' presence make you feel more safe? Why or why not?

CH: The emergency lights do make me feel more safe. When I walk across campus by myself late at night, I’m very conscious of where the blue lights are, and it gives me a greater sense of security. However, I still try to avoid walking by myself at night altogether.

AN: They make me feel more safe just knowing it’s there.

CD: I do think that its presence makes me feel safer because it makes me feel like I can just reach for it when I have to, like there's some help for me.

MM: Honestly, I forget we even have them because they are only mentioned during O-week so not really.

P: How comfortable would you feel using one of these phones in an emergency? Explain.

CH: If the situation was serious enough to need RUPD faster than calling, I wouldn’t hesitate to use the blue lights. It’s a simple button, and they are in place for people to use them!

AN: I would use it.

CD: I would feel totally comfortable using it. Like why not in an emergency if there's one nearby?

MM: In an emergency, I would feel comfortable using them because I know that they are there for an emergency. The only problem would be finding one because I don't even know where they are located.

[To CD] P: Do you know where the nearest one is?

CD: No.

P: Do you think a map would benefit you?

CD: Yes, I do think so.

The general consensus of this interview was that the blue-light emergency phones promote an atmosphere of safety on campus. Students doubt that they prevent crime from occurring, but are very confident that they will work as intended if there is an emergency. This is incredible important for students. Students at Rice University are some of the happiest university students, and part of that comes from the safety of the campus. Although Houston has a very high crime rate, Rice feels very safe to students. There are very few cases of violent crime, and RUPD makes sure to reassure students of their safety from the moment they step foot on campus. That is not to say that Rice students are ignorant of the possibility of crime. However, students are able to feel comfortable and relax while on campus, and the general student well-being reflects that.

"The emergency lights do make me feel more safe. When I walk across campus by myself late at night, I’m very conscious of where the blue lights are, and it gives me a greater sense of security." -Carrigan H.

One aspect of campus safety that Rice could afford to improve on is providing information about emergency resources to make students feel safe. A comprehensive map of the emergency phones is almost impossible to find. After spending quite a bit of time on Google and the Rice website searching for the elusive map, I eventually decided to visit the police department and ask for one. They directed me to the telecommunications office, but were unable to tell me where that was or how to contact them. I paid a visit to the Woodrow Research Center in the hopes that it would be one of the many university documents they kept, but no such luck. I then went to the information desk in the student center in order to find out where the telecom office was, and they weren't sure either. They put me in contact with the Office of Information Technology, and from there I was put in touch with the head of telecommunications. He told me that the only copy of the map they had contained confidential information, so he was unable to give it to me. At this point I realized that a map for students most likely did not exist. Two days later, I finally managed to find a copy buried in the annual security report, but this was only after I had walked around the campus for four hours, plotting out every single emergency phone to make my own map.

"I don't even know where they are located." -Michelle M.

What I learned from this experience is that unless you are looking through security reports like I am, students are not going to be able to find a map of the blue-light emergency phones, and that is a problem. If students can easily access a map of all the defibrillators on campus, they should be able to have a map of all the emergency phones on campus. This will makes students feel more confident about the campus security dedicated to protecting them.

Given their location at parking lots, around residence halls, and on walkways, the updates to the blue-light emergency phones do more to make students feel safe than they do to actively prevent crime. Other security changes that were implemented at the same time as the 2010 update most likely accounted for the decrease in general crime. Outside factors such as the #MeToo movement accounts for the rise in rape reports, the majority of which took place in residential buildings where emergency phones aren't located.

However, even if the blue-light emergency phones do not actively prevent crime, they promote an environment where students feel safe. One way that Rice could improve this system for their students is by having a map readily available to students. This sense of security improves student mental well-being, which results in a more satisfied student body overall. This is incredibly important because happier students tend to be more successful than their more stressed counterparts.

Data taken from HPD public data, the United States Department of Education, and Rice's Annual Security Report.

2010:

Total- 896

Monthly average- 74.67

2017:

Total- 907

Monthly average- 75.58

μ1=74.67 μ2=75.58

2-sample t-test H0: μ1=μ2 Ha: μ1≠μ2 p=.861

Using a 2-sample t-test with μ1 being the mean number of crimes committed per month in 2010 and μ2 being the mean number of crimes committed per month in 2017, p=.861. Since p>α with α=.05, we fail to reject the null hypothesis. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that there is a difference in the average number of crimes that occurred in the years 2010 and 2017.

2010:

Total- 36

2017:

Total- 15

Note: Rice did not provide the number of thefts (their biggest crime).

Obviously a huge decrease between 2010 and 2017. No statistical test done.

“25 Of the Most Dangerous Cities in America.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 14 Aug. 2019, https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/experience/america/2018/10/17/25-most-dangerous-cities-america/1669467002/.

Axford, Will. “FBI: The Safest and Most Dangerous College Campuses in Texas.” Houston Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, 16 Oct. 2016, https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/The-safest-and-most-dangerous-college-campuses-in-9967911.php.

College Navigator - Rice University, National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Rice+University&s=all&id=227757#crime.

Crime Statistics for 10H80's Beat, City of Houston, Texas, https://www.houstontx.gov/police/cs/beatpages/cs10h80.htm.

Matusow, Catherine. “The Strange Case of the William Marsh Rice Murder.” Houstonia, 26 Nov. 2018, https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2018/11/26/william-marsh-rice-murder.

Rice University. 2019 Annual Security Report and Annual Fire Safety Report, 2019. Web. 15 December 2019.