Just off the University of Minnesota campus, the neighborhood of Dinkytown has seen an uptick in violent crime in recent years. The issue is important to the institution because it is an where many students reside in both apartments and even dorms.

In an attempt to make the area safer for students, the university and city police departments are cooperating on a new campus safety center. Locating the center in Dinkeytown is important because the university’s main police station is more than one-half mile away.

Anyone with a UCard can scan at the main entrance to access the facility to study, receive self-defense training, file police reports, and get legal advice.

“The Off-Campus Safety Center, operated by the Department of Public Safety, brings resources and community to the heart of Dinkytown,” explains the University on its Safe Campus site. “Along with opportunities to connect with UMPD, the safety center will offer community engagement, safety classes, and student space to its visitors.”

As they describe, this isn’t a normal police station. The safety center brings law enforcement to the community, but it also provides a place for students to gather, learn, and feel safe.

There are dedicated study areas and student meeting rooms, and even an area for self-defense training. In the part of the center dedicated for law enforcement use, students can file police reports and get legal advice.

As reported by NBC-affiliate KARE11, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, “We've heard the concerns … both from parents and students on campus about safety [in] this part of town, and this safety center is an example that we are listening, that those concerns are being heard.”

Anyone with a UCard can scan at the main entrance to access the facility.

The center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m.