Still, the department has its critics, particularly when strings of robberies stir student concern.

Erika T. Rhone '02 said she saw an increased number of community advisories when she lived in Leverett House over the summer. She felt her sense of sense of security threatened when a stranger followed her along the Charles River on the way to Leverett House late one night and called HUPD about the incident.

Perhaps because of the increased police activity, Rhone says, when she first called she "didn't find them to be too receptive." However, she adds, when she "had the luck" of being connected on the phone to an officer she knew, the officer "checked the scene and called me back immediately and was very thorough."

Because of what she perceives was a less-than-ideal response from the police, Rhone says she thinks it is up to the students to take responsibility for their safety as well as to listen to HUPD for advice on how to stay safe.

"I think that a lot of the fault can be placed with the students, when they automatically assume that Harvard is a safe place just because it's Harvard," Rhone said.

A case in point is last year's crime spree in Harvard Yard, when the so-called "Yard Burglar" robbed dorm rooms in Matthews Hall. Despite warnings from HUPD, many Matthews residents left their doors unlocked, and the crime spree continued.

But many students say officers deal well with crime victims.

Ko says that when several of his summer school proctees had money stolen from their rooms, HUPD officers were helpful in responding, although they could not track down and return the valuables.