Local law enforcement officials met with sorority members Thursday night to talk about a recent string of crimes in the area.
During a town hall meeting hosted by the Gainesville Police Advisory Council, multiple house mothers asked for an expansion to the UF Alert System. Right now, messages are sent to students and faculty strictly from UPD.
When a crime is reported, a GPD shift commander sends information to the department's communications center, which pushes the message to the proper people. In a new system, the information would also be sent to UPD if the crime is near campus, said Lynne Benck, commander of the GPD investigations bureau.
The meeting was held in the wake of a string of crimes near Sorority Row. A woman avoided a rape attempt on Southwest Fifth Avenue by faking an asthma attack on Dec. 9, and on Jan. 13, a woman was robbed at gunpoint on Southwest Ninth Street.
Police gave basic advice and handed out a packet outlining where eight rapes or attempted rapes happened near campus since April.
Speakers told students not to walk alone, jog at night or go to isolated parts of town. Benck urged students to stay in groups at the bar. Alcohol-facilitated sexual battery happens too often, she said.
"I can't tell you how many times I've read the reports and felt so bad," she said. "We're calling in college-aged guys to take polygraph tests, and the girls just can't remember what happened. It's just bad all around."
