Comstock Avenue is crime central on campus for the Department of Public Safety.
In the last five years, there have been 496 reported incidents along Comstock Avenue, the majority of which are alcohol violations and thefts.
Comstock Avenue’s high student population is a major factor in the many reported incidents to DPS. There are approximately 2,474 students living on Comstock Avenue, and that’s just with the residence halls, not including the fraternity and sorority houses, as well as off-campus apartments on the street.
For the university, off-campus living begins on Ostrom Avenue, a block away from Comstock Avenue, heading into the East Neighborhood. There are approximately 10,000 students that live off campus, with about 4,500 living in the East Neighborhood, said Elin Riggs, the director of Off-Campus and Commuter Services.
Off-campus, Euclid Avenue consistently has the highest amount of crimes — with 257 incidents reported in the last five years. The majority of the reported crimes are alcohol violations and party busts.
Euclid Avenue is typically the main street of the East Neighborhood for foot traffic, along with always being highly visible for police officers to patrol, Riggs said. Tony Callisto, SU’s chief law enforcement officer, said it’s why party busts and alcohol violations happen there so often.
“If you’re out there you see droves of students walking up and down Euclid, and less on side streets,” he said. “Those students are going to come to the attention of the city police if they’re walking with an open container.”
Maryland Avenue and Westcott Street — two of the farthest streets from campus in the East Neighborhood, are usually the quietest streets. Consistently in the last five years, these two streets have made up less than 2 percent of all the reported incidents. Riggs said it’s because there are more graduate students in that area — students that aren’t looking to get drunk and party every weekend.
“For them, a lot of graduate students feel like they’ve already been through that,” she said.
