metro Ann Arbor Assaults ANN ARBOR POLICE DEPARTMENT 994-2911 WANTED Sexual Assault Suspects CR# 11-4562 CR #11-4508 U-M students remain calm, but vigilant as police continue search for predators. Jeff Kranitz Special to the Jewish News Ann Arbor B efore Summer Krinsky came to the University of Michigan this fall, she was already aware that her incoming class would have a different kind of freshman experience. The 18-year-old graduate of Andover High School received several emails from the university about a rash of sexual assaults that took place in July, just a few blocks from campus. Summer says that students definitely acknowledge the threat, but often do so in a matter-of-fact manner. "If I go out late at night my roommate will joke, 'Make sure the rapist doesn't get you!"' she said. "But, in all actuality, I think girls are far more on their guard. Everyone always keeps their pepper spray on them and tries to walk in groups." She lightheartedly refers to a male friend who walks with her when it's late as her "anti-rape buddy" While this may seem to undermine a seri- ous threat, many behavioral experts say it's a healthy way of not allowing a dangerous situation to create unnecessary paranoia. August came and went. The predator wasn't caught, but thankfully, there were no other attacks. "That does not allow us to drop our guard;' Ann Arbor Police Chief Barnett Jones said just before the start of the fall semester. "And I don't want students to drop their guard also." Now, campus has Chief Barnett sprung into action for Jones another school year. More than 41,000 students have settled in, and the streets of Ann Arbor are buzzing with the hurried traffic they create by zig- zagging back and forth from their various pursuits. But just three weeks into the semester — as the excitement of a promising start to the football season began to allow some to forget — a seventh assault took place. On 7-18-11 at 12:45 am, the victim was walking in the 700 block of S. State. She walked between two adjacent buildings and was grabbed and sexually assaulted by the suspect. Suspect: W/M, 20 yrs, brown hair, brown eyes, dark hair. On 7-15-11 at 11:11 pm, the victim was walking in 400 block of N. Division, was grabbed from behind while on her cell phone, and the suspect attempted to drag her. Suspect: U/M, 20-30 yrs, 5'6" — 5'7", 175-200 Ibs, black short straight hair, olive skin, clean shaven. To Submit a Tip: Contact the AAPD Tip line at 734-794-6939. To be eligible to receive the cash reward call: CRIME STOPPERS — 1.800. PEAK UP ANONYMOUS TT LINE CASH REWARDS housing more student-run programs than any other group except for the University Activities Center. The organization stepped up and met the threat by introducing several new ini- tiatives before the start of the year. "Our staff team and leadership students were A Threat Renewed engaged in an ongoing The assault occurred Sept. 13, shortly after conversation throughout midnight when a 20-year-old woman was the summer about our walking a few blocks behind the rows of responsibility to provide restaurants and bars on Main Street. a safe space to our stu- Police said a male approached her from dents," said Associate behind, then grabbed her by the arm and Tilly Shames Director Tilly Shames. waist and began fondling her chest and "We started the year Police Sift Clues groin area. in a proactive way with new safety mea- Police were looking for at least one sexual The woman, who is not a U-M student, sures for our programs and students. In predator who struck six times from July 15 was able to fight off her attacker. addition to our annual discussion regard- to July 26, mostly in the downtown area, A crime alert issued by Ann Arbor ing security in the building during our all between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Police described the suspect as either a leadership training, we trained our lead- In two cases, both. occurring July 18, darker-skinned white or Hispanic male, ers on how to end a program to ensure women were raped. In the other four unshaven, with a medium build and that all participants will walk home with cases, women were grabbed or fondled, height, wearing a baseball cap pulled someone. but managed to break free. down over lighter-colored hair coming out Shames says Hillel promotes campus "The emails included a list of ways to of the back of the cap. safety as a collective responsibility. stay safe as recommended by the Ann Police described the assailant in the "We want to teach our students the Arbor Police Department," Summer said. July cases as having a tan complexion, value of being responsible for one anoth- "It's a tough situation because there was standing 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 10 inches er, not just to be safe, but because that is no guarantee that the rapist would be tall, in his early 20s with no facial hair. At who we are as a community" apprehended regardless of what the uni- the time of the attacks he was wearing a Additionally, on Friday nights, U-M versity did." black-hooded sweatshirt or jacket, blue- Hillel provides a Shabbat Shuttle for University police worked with the Ann jeans and black sunglasses. students coming from North Campus Arbor Police Department — and even got Chief Jones said the Sept. 13 assault to eliminate the wait and the walk from some help from the FBI — to sift through could be related to the July incidents, but the bus stop to their building. Shames hundreds of tips. Suspect sketches were added it's too early in the investigation to said increased advertising has led to a released to the public and the community determine whether there's a definite link. tremendous boost in the number of stu- went on high alert. The relative tranquil- dents who use the shuttle. ity of summer break was broken as police Cautious And Smart Response The university has continued to work worked hard to apprehend a dangerous Hillel is the second largest student orga- with police to keep students on watch. predator. nization at the University of Michigan, Sketches of the rapist have been posted 38 October 6 - 20B iN on all university buses, keeping everyone around campus on high alert. Sororities and other student organi- zations are encouraging women to stay in groups and take advantage of several available services — like the free library taxi after 2 a.m. The people at U-M's Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) also have done a great deal to raise awareness and promote safety. The organization sees about 150 to 200 women annually who are victims of sexual assault, violence between intimate partners, sexual harassment and stalk- ing, director Holly Rider-Milkovich said. Local police receive about 45 reports of sexual assaults each year. Parents seem reasonably assured the entire Ann Arbor community is doing all it can to deal with the situation. Still, until police catch the person or persons responsible, their worries will remain heightened. Back home in Bloomfield Township, Summer's mom tries to have some sort of contact with her every night to make sure she's safe. And despite an 18-year- old's natural desire to begin establishing some independence, Summer is happy to comply. "I understand her concern to make sure I'm not out late without people around." II To learn more about what the U-M campus is doing to promote a safer environment in the midst of a string of sexual assaults, go to umhillel.org , sapac.umich.edu or police.umich.edu .