After he heard ambulances, he knew it was serious.,”When University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee senior Michael Roberts first heard nine gunshots outside his house Nov. 5, he thought it was kids playing with fireworks.

After he heard ambulances, he knew it was serious.

"You never think something would happen to you until it happens outside your house," Roberts said.

Roberts lives three houses away, on the 2700 block of North Murray Avenue, from a UW-Milwaukee student who was shot in the legs, according to a police report. The victim is in stable condition, the report said.

Now Roberts said he won't walk home alone at night. He feels less safe on campus than he did last year, he said.

Pamela Hodermann, police chief at UWM, said the shooting was believed to be an isolated drug-related crime. The two suspects are still at large.

UWM began a safety program in September to cope with a rise in crime over the summer months, she said.

The police are trying to increase their squads, said Art Koch, a sergeant at the UWM Police Department.

"We're out there," Koch said. "We're out there a lot more."

Hodermann said police are putting more walking patrols off campus, ordering public cameras on campus and training escort drivers to be watchful.

The police are also sending regular warnings to students about what is happening.

"We're not trying to scare people," Hodermann said. "There are areas of the city (that are) more dangerous and we're trying to tell you crime is a concern near the UWM area and you need to be aware of it."

She also said the police cannot respond to everything and students need to be aware of their surroundings.

Laura Glawe, director of communication and media relations at UWM, said students have been more aware of safety issues since September.

"People are on a safe campus at UWM and many of them are heating the discussion we've been having all semester," Glawe said.

Ben Stiemsma, a senior at UWM and Roberts' roommate, said his whole life has been different since the shooting. He said he used to be an active person and enjoyed running outside but now that has changed.

"I used to run by myself, and now I don't run at all," Stiemsma said. "My life has pretty much changed."

He said he doesn't walk by himself because an incident could happen to anyone.

Stiemsma said he receives e-mails from the university warning students to be careful.

"Due to increased crime or increased knowledge of knowing what's going on, through e-mails, it feels more unsafe," Stiemsma said.

Tiffani Holmstrom, a junior at UWM, is a commuter student from New Berlin. She said she tries not to be on campus after dark and doesn't take night classes. She said she carries pepper spray with her.

Holmstrom said part of the reason she doesn't live on campus has to do with safety.

"It's really starting to worry me," Holmstrom said. "I really wish they would do something to beef (security) up because this is a college."

More UWM students are utilizing the campus's escort service, Be On the Safe Side, which is similar to Marquette's LIMO service, Glawe said.

Stiemsma said he takes BOSS to his classes at night, but it takes a long time. He said because of a cut in the number of drivers and hours it operates, many people choose to walk instead.

Koch agreed and said the wait is getting too long and the vans need to increase their time and number of staff members.

Hodermann said between UWM and the Milwaukee Police Department, about a dozen people have been arrested this semester.

"We're working hard to put out a visible presence," Hodermann said. "We try to keep (students) as safe as we can by using the services available."

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