University Of Minnesota Students Want Crime Alerts To Avoid Using Gender Descriptions

Image Suggesting Only Men Commit Crimes

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – School officials at the University of Minnesota are working with male student and facility organizations after they wrote a letter to the school’s president about the gender descriptions given in crime alerts.

The letter, sent on Dec. 6, 2013, was issued by members of the Male American and Male Studies, Male Faculty and Staff Association, Male Graduate and Professional Student Association, Men’s Forum, Male Student Union and Huntley House for Manhood. It was directed to University President Eric Kaler and Pamela Wheelock, the vice president of University Services.

Students and staff mailed the letter more than a month after the campus went on lockdown because of an attempted robbery at Anderson Hall on Nov. 11, 2013. University of Minnesota Police wrongfully identified a student as the suspect. On Tuesday, school officials reported there have been 25 robberies in and around the University, an increase of 27 percent over the last few years.

The organizations wrote that while campus safety is crucial, the profiling can be devastating for male students.
“[We] unanimously agree that campus safety should be of the UMPD’s utmost importance; however, efforts to reduce crime should never be at the expense of our men, or any specific group of people likely to be targeted. In addition to causing men to feel unsafe and distrusted, gender profiling is proven to inflict negative psychological effects on its victims.”

Boy or Girl? Who knows, but non-discriminatory. 

At Wednesday’s forum, Ian Taylor Jr., president of the Men’s Forum, said members of his organization feel threatened when the use of a gender description is given in the crime alerts.
“The repeated male, male male suspect,” Taylor said. “And what that does it really discomforts the mental and physical comfort for students on campus because they feel like suspicions begin to increase.”
The letter then gave 12 recommendations to UMPD Chief Gregory Hestness on how to improve their response.

The recommendations include requiring officers to attend diversity training, and attach a link on crime alerts to the U’s no-tolerance policy on gender profiling.
On Jan. 27, 2014, a formal letter was issued by Wheelock.
“I am concerned that members of your organizations and others in the University community believe there to be an increase in gender profiling,” Wheelock said. “As I stated earlier profiling will not be tolerated on campus. If there is a concern or complaint about University police practices, both Chief Hestness and I are committed to investigating the matter promptly and thoroughly.”

She did disagree with the organizations when it comes to excluding gender descriptions in the alerts.
“I firmly believe that a well-informed community is an asset to public safety…I believe that sharing more information in our Crime Alerts, not less, is most beneficial in terms of public safety, especially when that information is available.

The information we share can include a complete description of suspects, unique identifying characteristics such as an accent or a distinctive piece of clothing, or the description of vehicles involved.
We have reviewed what other Big Ten Universities and local colleges and universities include, and our practice of including the gender of a suspect when it is available from a victim’s description is consistent with their practices.”

In other news, University Of Minnesota students want shoe size to be off limits in crime investigations because of the negative stereotypes for men with small feet.

Original Article is HERE
(I may have left out a few details in the article, but discrimination is discrimination!)

In another related story, Blondes want hair color descriptions to be omitted in crime alerts because it makes blondes appear too wimpy and overly good-mannered with no "edge".