The city that bleeds

Don't freak out but, apparently, Baltimore can be a dangerous city.

That fact was reaffirmed -- and quite vigorously -- in a recent study by the well-respected Morgan Quitno Group that ranks Baltimore the third most dangerous major city in the country and the 11th most dangerous city overall. Only Detroit and Washington, D.C. -- familiar entries at the top of the annual report -- were deemed more crime-ridden than Baltimore.

The study verifies a reality that has been apparent to residents of the city for some time: Parts of Baltimore, like any other major urban area, can be perilous. That fact has even hit close to home for Hopkins students on two tragic occasions -- the murders of senior Linda Trinh in 2005 and junior Chris Elser in 2004.

But none of this should be taken as a sign that students here in the comfortably offset Charles Village are any less safe than they have been in the past. In fact, thanks to infrastructure improvements and an injection of much-needed cash, the number of on-campus crimes in the past year has plunged.

Certainly reports like this are useful for various social and political reasons -- but they do no good, and in fact much harm, when taken as "evidence" that Hopkins is located in a dangerous place. As numbers and even common sense will show, precisely the opposite is the case. Hopkins is as safe a place to go to school as any other college in a major urban area. This is due in no small part to the location of Homewood campus, conveniently nestled in the practically suburban Charles Village. When you compare its location to those of schools such as Yale, in New Haven, or the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, you might even find our situation more favorable than those of some other fine schools.

That being said, there is no denying the recent crime wave off campus. 33rd Street and East University Parkway have been hit particularly hard by a raft of burglaries. Students living in off-campus housing should be take precautions. Hopkins security is available to counsel you -- visit their office behind Shriver Hall if you want advice about how to protect yourself and your property.

These numbers don't mean that Hopkins students or, more likely, their parents should enter crisis mode. Those who act smart can find much to enjoy in Baltimore without feeling insecure. Most of the city's crime occurs outside areas of cultural interest. Regions of the city in which crime is rampant are easily avoidable.

Baltimore is not "safe," but this is nothing new. And if that angers you, just think about how incensed departing Governor Robert Ehrlich must feel. If he had these numbers a month ago, he might have won a second term.