Current Research Projects
Technical:
Personal safety alarm
We’re in the process of evaluating the first two prototypes of a new personal-safety alarm, designed by members of the MIT Crime Club. The device effectively disorients attackers, giving the user an opportunity to escape. (Note: Participants in this project are required to sign a nondisclosure agreement.)
Alcohol awareness device
—Three of the four major domestic manufacturers of saliva-alcohol test strips have indicated their willingness to have us redesign and simplify the device labeling and instructions, which could incidentally improve the effectiveness of self-administration by impaired users.
—Independently, we’ll be asking device investigators at the U.S. Dept. of Transp. for official confirmation that the various mfrs.’ devices do meet the requirements of the DoT Model Specifications.
Dru Campaign
Two of our members (Brittan Smith at Harvard and Mer Villapando at Boston University) recently shared the Spring 2007 Dru Campaign Scholarship Award for their efforts to give students access to a disposable test kit, the Drink Detective, which allows the user to check a beverage for the presence of “date-rape drugs” such as benzodiazepines or ketamine. (We would like to thank Harvard University in particular for its constructive support of Britt’s efforts and for its receptiveness to letting this controversial issue be raised and effectively addressed on its campus.)
Non-Technical:
Crime log
Two of our more experienced members (most notably Marjan Rafat, MIT ’06) have served as the “Police Log Compiler for MIT and Harvard” at the Cambridge Chronicle. All members or associates are welcome to contribute. Training in interpretation and fact-checking of police logs is provided by the MIT Crime Club.
Campus Crime Records Access legislation
Interested members have been undertaking research on the campus-security issues addressed by the Mass. Campus Crime Information Bill of 2007 [32K pdf], which was proposed and drafted by our associates last December. The legislation has the effect of both (1) giving private universities’ students the same access to nonconfidential campus-crime reports that public universities’ students have had for over thirty years; and (2) strengthening confidentiality protections for victims and voluntary witnesses. Three of our associates testified at the Joint Committee hearing on the bill (June 19, 2007).
Crime & fire-alarm mapping
(a) On occasion we will prepare and issue an investigative analysis of a developing crime pattern in a campus neighborhood, based on information in police logs and incident reports and on field interviews and confidential discussions with security staff.
(b) We recently completed a statistical analysis of fire-alarm incidents at Harvard, MIT, and Lesley University residence halls. We’re now attempting to make sense of the surprisingly nonrandom results.
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