FAQ #10: How Safe Is the CCF Campus?

I've posted about this before, because we had a brief presentation by a CCF policeman during our orientation week back in July. But it's a good topic to talk more about, so I'm glad you brought it up.

First of all, you need to be aware that CCF (and Case also) are in Cleveland, which is a large city. (The city itself has about 500,000 people, and there are over 2 million people living in the metro area.) Thus, both campuses are smack dab in the middle of an urban environment. There are pros and cons to this. If you are looking for a bucolic small town, you aren't going to find it here at CCF. Also, some of the neighborhoods around the CCF and Case campuses are kind of rough. On the other hand, you have a lot of resources available to you in a large city that you probably wouldn't have in a small town, and the CCF campus itself is actually one of the safest places in the entire city. This is at least in part because CCF has its own police force. The CCF police force is quite large, with about 200 officers and guards just for CCF alone, and they patrol the campus heavily.

Case, which is located in University Circle, does not have its own police force. The campus is patrolled by the University Circle Police and the Cleveland Police. Since Case is a university, they publish yearly crime statistics reports. Click here to read the 2005 Case crime statistics report.

My opinion on this issue is that you must always use common sense and be aware of your surroundings. During the day it is safe to walk around both campuses as well as back and forth between them, but I advise against walking between the campuses after dark. Even if you're walking around on one of the campuses after dark, it's always best if you can avoid walking places by yourself. Both Case and CCF will provide police escorts for students who are on campus at night. Also, if you are going to drive to campus (and most of us do), you should spring for the parking pass. There are some streets right on the edge of campus where you could park for free, but again, you don't want to be walking by yourself to your car out there at night on a dark, isolated street that is not patrolled. Finally, you should always give some thought to the kind of message you are sending to other people by what you wear and do. Everyone knows not to flash jewelry and money in public. But I see all kinds of people walking down Euclid and Carnegie talking on their cell phones or listening to headphones, completely oblivious to what is going on around them. If you're distracted like that, you aren't paying attention to what's going on around you, and that is the kind of thing that can get you into trouble.