‘I can go anywhere in my small town’: UNL students discuss crime concerns

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – As students arrive at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, many encounter something they’re not used to dealing with: crime.

“To be honest, at first, I felt a little nervous about safety,” said freshman Hayden Ricley. “I can go anywhere in my small town like anytime of the day because nothing happens there; it’s really boring.”

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department handles crime on campus.

During the last month, there were seven larcenies and multiple suspicious people reported on campus, according to UNLPD’s crime log.

In the same time frame, there were 141 reports of nonviolent crimes within a 1-mile radius of campus, according to the Lincoln Police Department.

And there are 41 records of assault in that area, the data show.

But UNLPD Assistant Chief Marty Fehringer said police see mostly non-serious crimes on campus.

He said the department has a Safe Walk program to help students get home safe.

If students ever feel nervous about walking home, they can call UNLPD anytime to get a free ride home.

“A lot of times, people are unaware of it,” Fehringer said. “And once they become aware of it, they obviously use it more.”

Ricley said on Wednesday, she needed a ride back to her dorm room.

“Last night, I came home from the gym at like 9:30, and I called one of my guy friends because I was scared to walk by myself,” she said.

Ricley said she wished she knew about the Safe Walk program sooner, but for now, she’ll continue to err on the side of caution.

Another UNL student, Meleah Eickhoff, said she feels safer now that she knows about the program.

She makes it a point to not be alone at night.

“But just knowing … the university has options to make sure people get back to their dorms safely is really nice,” she said.