September 20, 2016

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MILWAUKEE — During its first full year since it was commissioned, the Marquette University Police Department recorded a significant reduction in crime throughout its patrol zone.

Comparing the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2016 with the previous fiscal year, MUPD's crime reduction highlights included the following:

• 42% decrease in robberies
• 62% decrease in battery/assault
• 23% decrease in burglaries

"Ensuring a safe environment is a top priority for Marquette University, and I'm incredibly proud of all the work our officers have done on behalf of our entire community, including our students, faculty and staff," said MUPD Chief Paul Mascari. "We take a comprehensive approach to community policing, which includes specialized training in subjects such as crisis intervention, outreach to members of our homeless population and fair and impartial policing. We are committed to Marquette's mission, which calls us to serve and care for others."

These statistics include activity in MUPD's patrol zone, which extends beyond Marquette's campus to include a significant portion of the surrounding community. They compare the most recent fiscal year, spanning July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, to the previous fiscal year, spanning July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.

MUPD became a commissioned police department on May 1, 2015.

The department currently has 40 commissioned officers who receive the state-mandated 520 hours of training, as well as a psychological review, medical evaluation and drug test. All officers also receive training in homeless outreach, crisis intervention and fair and impartial policing.

Prior to becoming a commissioned police department, Marquette's former Department of Public Safety spent 15 years building an extensive safety infrastructure which includes more than 700 cameras, over 450 blue light emergency phones, a state-of-the-art command center, campus-wide text alert system and a nationally recognized student safety program.