The Wichita State University police department is increasing nighttime patrols in response to recent crimes on campus.
There have been two robberies on the WSU campus in as many weeks both near the intersection of 21st Street and Hillside. During the most recent incident, a female student was robbed at knifepoint.
WSU spokesman Lou Heldman says campus police have no reason to believe the same individual committed the robberies, but the descriptions of the suspects are not conclusive enough to rule out that possibility.
“The police aren't seeing a trend here," Heldman says. "We're very concerned when there's any crime on campus because people come here with a reasonable expectation that we're going to do everything we can to prevent it."
Heldman says the university police department has decided to move more officers onto later shifts to increase the size and visibility of the force in the nighttime hours from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.
A student was murdered in the same general area of the robberies last month. Police have two persons of interest in the murder, which was determined to not be a random act of violence.
Last year, there were robberies near the university but none on the actual campus. Heldman said crime on campus is not increasing.
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