University of Illinois at Chicago police on Tuesday did their best to assure students and staff the campus is safe.
Due to a series of student robberies in and around campus, including a few on Chicago Transit Authority buses over the summer, there have been dozens of crime alerts sent to students.
But authorities said the amount of crime on campus hasn't gone up.
"The number of crime alerts on campus has gone up. We're trying -- we're more active than ever in trying to make people aware of crime as it occurs and what they can do to prevent it," said UIC spokesman Bill Burton.
Still, police warn that electronics such as cell phones and laptops are hot commodities for the robbers and students should be aware of where they're walking.
Crime Statistics provided by the Clery Act allows anyone to compare crime on U.S. campuses. UIC reported only four robberies in 2010 on campus and one within the dormitories. Highest amongst the crime numbers were aggravated assaults (19 on-campus) and burglary (nine on-campus). The data does not show any reports filed under the Chicago Police.
Officers remind students to always comply with a suspect and give them what they want to avoid getting hurt.
UIC police are trained state police officers and work with the Chicago police on a joint robbery task force.
