Kansas City police are in search of a suspected serial rapist in the Waldo area. All five rapes have been about 15 to 25 blocks away from STA’s campus and close to the homes of many STA students. These recent accusations have increased the concern of safety for women, including STA students.

“Our [family] friend was one of the rape victims,” senior Julia Barnett said. “She was recently divorced and living alone. She was letting her dogs out when [the rapist] attacked her.”

According to kctv5.com, the man sexually assaulted three women in the evening of Jan. 23 and morning of Jan. 24 and Feb. 22 in the Waldo and Brookside neighborhood. Police believe this same man is responsible for similar sexual assaults in the same area Sept. 29 and Oct. 11 of fall 2009. Victims describe the suspect as a black male, about 6 feet tall, 250 pounds, bald with acne-scarred cheeks, having a deep voice, very bad breath and smelling of exhaust fumes. The reason investigators believe this rapist might be the same one who is responsible for other attacks is because the crimes share a lot of similarities, both in the man’s appearance and the way he attacks his victims.

The recent reports of the local rapist have increased the fear of attack for STA students, especially those living in the Brookside and Waldo area.

“When I’m the only one home, I get scared,” sophomore Meg Nulton said. “I live in an old house, so I always hear things and convince myself that someone’s inside, even though I have locked every door and set the alarm. I think all the recent buzz about the rapist has made me a lot more cautious and aware about how safe I need to be.”

According to Detective Dotson of the Kansas City Police Department, the recent awareness of a serial rapist should not cause people, especially women, to be more frightened. Dotson advises both men and women to pay attention to their surroundings, regardless of the situation.

“If you ever see something suspicious, call the police.” Dotson said. “It is better to be safe than sorry.”

Safety Tips

Detective Dotson of KCPD gives advice on what precautions to take to remain safe:

1. Always be aware of your surroundings. Be familiar with the area you’re in and let someone know where you are going and when you will be back.

2. When in parking lots or parking garages, park in a well lit area staying away from bushes, large trucks or vans to ensure you are able to clearly see what is around you.

3. At home, never open the door to a stranger. Even if they say they were sent from a specific company, make sure to see their ID with the company name before even considering letting them inside.

4. When going on walks around your neighborhood, make sure there are no patterns to route to ensure a stranger can never determine where you will be at a given time any day. Also, be careful when using headphones to always pay attention to what is around you.

5. Safety in numbers is key. If you are unable to travel with another person, take a cell phone. Make sure someone knows where you are at all times.

Police urge anyone with information about the suspect to come forward by calling police or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Junior Anna White and her family had a security system installed about a month ago to ensure their safety because of the recent rape incidents.

“My family has always been pretty precautious about locking our doors and doing things to make it look like we are home[even when we’re not], like leaving some lights on,” White said. “We have become a little more precautious in recent months [because of the rapist], like installing our new security system.”

White and Barnett are both extremely alert when walking to their cars , especially at night. White has her key ready or a finger on the panic button anytime she is walking to her car. Barnett even called her neighbor to walk her to her car one night when her parents were not home. Nulton, along with her mother, believes it is important to be even more watchful when entering and exiting the car.

“My mom is constantly worried about [the rapist], so I have to call [her] whenever I am getting in and out of my car if it is dark outside,” Nulton said. “I always lock my car doors and sometimes [my mom] even has me check my trunk.”

Detective Dotson continuously emphasizes for both men and women, especially teenage girls, to be aware of their surroundings. Dotson suggests to always be on the lookout for suspicious behavior to avoid more rape incidents and enable the Brookside and Waldo area to remain safe.