MIT Crime Club: Difference between revisions
Dervorguilla (talk | contribs) m Ø (BLPGROUP, OR, USEBYOTHERS. See Talk: Changes made 5 November 2012; Changes made 1 October 2013; Notability?) |
If sources differ on the date at which something happened, the correct response is either to (a) ascertain which is right, or (b) provide both dates -- not to hide the fact. |
||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
| website = [http://mitcrimeclub.org MITCrimeClub.org] |
| website = [http://mitcrimeclub.org MITCrimeClub.org] |
||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''MIT Crime Club''' is a student group founded in 2005 at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. It publishes police-log compilations<ref name="schwartz" /><ref name="beast" /> and rebroadcasts police radio transmissions online. In 2009 it hired a private detective to investigate a murder in a Harvard dormitory. The detective and his companion were arrested by campus police.<ref name="fargen" /><ref name="nierstedt" /> The trial court ruled that the prosecution had no case. The ruling was interpreted as implying that a resident can give an investigator legal permission to enter a dormitory.<ref name="pi" /> |
The '''MIT Crime Club''' is a student group founded in 2005 at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. It publishes police-log compilations<ref name="schwartz" /><ref name="beast" /> and rebroadcasts police radio transmissions online. In 2009 it hired a private detective to investigate a murder in a Harvard dormitory. The detective and his companion were arrested by campus police.<ref name="fargen" /><ref name="nierstedt" /> The trial court ruled that the prosecution had no case. The ruling was interpreted as implying that a resident can give an investigator legal permission to enter a dormitory.<ref name="pi" /> In 2011 the local city council voted to thank the group's members for their achievements in improving public safety.<ref name="cambridge" /> The group has been derecognized by the university, though sources differ as to whether this took place in 2012 or 2013.<ref name="asa-db">{{cite web|title=MIT ASA Group Database entry for 'Crime Club, MIT'|url=https://asa.mit.edu/groups/795/|accessdate=8 November 2013}}</ref> |
||
== History == |
== History == |
||
Revision as of 16:58, 9 November 2013
| Cartoon beaver styled after MIT mascot Tim the Beaver, but wearing trenchcoat & fedora like comic-strip detective Dick Tracy Club logo | |
| Formation | December 23, 2005 |
|---|---|
| Type | Student organization |
| Purpose | Public safety |
Parent organization | MIT |
| Website | MITCrimeClub.org |
The MIT Crime Club is a student group founded in 2005 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It publishes police-log compilations[1][2] and rebroadcasts police radio transmissions online. In 2009 it hired a private detective to investigate a murder in a Harvard dormitory. The detective and his companion were arrested by campus police.[3][4] The trial court ruled that the prosecution had no case. The ruling was interpreted as implying that a resident can give an investigator legal permission to enter a dormitory.[5] In 2011 the local city council voted to thank the group's members for their achievements in improving public safety.[6] The group has been derecognized by the university, though sources differ as to whether this took place in 2012 or 2013.[7]
History
The MIT Crime Club was founded by two MIT students in 2005.[1] Both MIT and Harvard students joined the group.[3]
On June 2, 2009, a Boston Globe correspondent reported that MIT's news office said MIT did not know of any crime club at the school.[4] The office's communications director said in an e-mail message to the club that the Globe had misrepresented the office.[8]
In summer 2009, the group's membership included five MIT students.[3]
Activities
The group compiles incident reports from police logs and constructs crime maps.[1][2] Members have written regular police-log compilations for MIT's newspaper, The Tech.[9]
The group rebroadcasts MIT, Harvard, and City of Cambridge police radio transmissions online.[10]
In 2009 the group awarded an MIT dormitory a "Sparky the Fire Dog Award for Not Setting Off As Many Fire Alarms as Last Year".[1][11]
Members have tried to develop improvements on saliva-test devices used for determining blood alcohol content.[1]
In September 2011 the Cambridge City Council adopted a resolution thanking the members for sponsoring bicycle theft-prevention workshops and the like:
Club members have for six years furnished MIT students with technology and data of value in safeguarding their persons and property....[6]
Influence
In 2006 a member who had written police-log compilations at The Tech was employed by the Cambridge Chronicle as its first "Police Log Compiler for MIT and Harvard".[12]
In May 2009 the group hired a private detective to investigate security at Harvard University after a marijuana dealer was shot to death in a dormitory basement. The detective and his companion were arrested by campus police on charges of breaking and entering and trespass.[1][3][4] In July 2009 the trial court ruled that the prosecution had no case.[5][13][14]
PI Magazine, a trade journal, said of the ruling:
One apparent implication is that investigators may take photographs in residential common areas at universities without being subject to immediate arrest. Permission can be granted by an occupant of the residence hall floor. Investigators need not obtain permission of the owner.[5]
In January 2010, Harvard students "looking to MIT's Crime Club as an example" organized the Harvard College Crime Club.[15] The organization was recognized by the college's Office of Student Life.[16][17]
Finances
The group is funded in part by alumni contributions.[1] MIT's resource-development office established an MIT Crime Club Fund to support its initiatives.[18]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Schwartz, Jason (August 2009). "The Case of the Gumshoe Geeks: The curious MIT club that's taken on a murder investigation as an afterschool project" (PDF). Boston Magazine. p. 62. Archived from the original on 2013-10-25.
Ordinarily, the MIT Crime Club confines its efforts to checking police logs, collecting incident data, and constructing crime maps.… The crime club … currently includes five students (although MIT sanctions the group, it does not provide any funding).
{{cite news}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 2013-09-21 suggested (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "25 colleges with the worst crime rankings". Daily Beast. N.Y.C. September 16, 2010. Item 5.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. … An updated police log is maintained weekly by the school's Crime Club.
- ^ a b c d Fargen, Jessica (June 3, 2009). "MIT kids send spies to Harvard: Slaying prompts closer study of campus security" (PDF). Boston Herald. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21.
The MIT Crime Club hired the private eyes following the May 18 murder of Justin Cosby, 21, who police say dealt drugs to Harvard students…. Most of the Crime Club's members are MIT students, although Harvard students have joined in the past.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Nierstedt, Jenna (June 2, 2009). "Trespassing alleged at dorm". Boston Globe. p. B7. Archived from the original on 2009-06-05.
The MIT Crime Club retained one male and one female private investigator from the Simmons Agency of Boston to investigate the May 18 homicide … inside Harvard's Kirkland House dormitory, according to the agency.… An MIT spokeswoman said she knew of no school crime club.
- ^ a b c "Charges dismissed against Massachusetts PI" (PDF). Investigation. PI Magazine. Freehold, N.J.: 20 November/December 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21.
A judge has dismissed all charges against an investigator and his wife.… The Commonwealth has declined to appeal.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Cambridge, Mass., Res. 37 of Sept. 26, 2011. "RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record thanking the MIT Crime Club’s Campus Crimestoppers for their achievements in making their campus and the City of Cambridge a safer and more welcoming environment for students."
- ^ "MIT ASA Group Database entry for 'Crime Club, MIT'". Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ^ Pontin, Jason (Director of Communications, MIT News Office) (June 2, 2009). E-mail to MIT Crime Club and Patti Richards (Media Relations Director). "We cannot comment any more to the press about this matter – although we agree, of course, that the Globe misrepresented Patti."
- ^ Rafat, Marjan (February 10, 2006). "Police Log" (PDF). Tech. MIT. p. 17.
Compiled by Marjan Rafat with assistance from other members of the MIT Crime Club.
- ^ "Harvard & MIT Police - Radio WIGGUM - MIT Crime Club scanner". Nullsoft. 2013.
- ^ "Sparky the Fire Dog Award" (PDF). MIT Crime Club. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-26.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Witlin, Dawn; Rafat, Marjan (September 4, 2006). "Crime Watch". Cambridge Chronicle. p. 5.
Compiled by Dawn Witlin and Marjan Rafat, police log compiler for MIT and Harvard.
- ^ Judgment of Dismissal, Commonwealth v. Cadillic, No. 09-52CR1267 (Mass. Dist. Ct. dismissed July 28, 2009) ("7/28/09. Motion to Dismiss is allowed.").
- ^ Convey, Eric (May 23, 2012). "Private eye who probed Harvard shooting sues college". Boston Business Journal.
- ^ Yu, Xi (January 30, 2010). "CSI: Harvard". Flyby Blog. Harvard Crimson.
Looking to MIT's Crime Club as an example, Berryessa wants to organize a criminology interest club at Harvard….
- ^ "Harvard College Crime Club". Office of Student Life. Harvard University. September 15, 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-11-22.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 2013-09-21 suggested (help) - ^ "HarvardCrimeClub Info". HCS Mailing Lists. Harvard University Faculty of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
- ^ "MIT Crime Club Fund". Giving to MIT. MIT. September 2013. Archived from the original on 2012-12-10.
Designation: MIT Crime Club Fund (2721276). Gifts to support its public-safety initiatives.