Recently, the town of Bristol, home of Roger Williams University was named the safest college town in the United States by SafeWise.
SafeWise is a safety review company that examines security technology, contextualizes national crime and how it affects neighborhoods around the country, and compiles the articles into one website.
To analyze the safety of towns, SafeWise evaluates the percentage of violent and property crimes and compares them to the national average.
According to SafeWise, in 2022, Bristol had 0.2 violent crimes per 1,000 people, and 3.2 property crimes per 1,000 people. These statistics are also consistent in 2021 and 2020.
Because Bristol has been consistently considered ‘safe,’ it has helped to put students’ minds at ease. Freshman, Rileigh Gouveia said, “I can work outside if I want to without having to worry about someone trying to steal from me, and if I go to Bristol, I don’t have to worry much about anything.”
Bristol’s safety can also be an appealing factor to prospective students, and can help in the ongoing branding efforts, said Chief of Staff, Brian Williams.
“Especially as RWU continues to recruit more nationally and internationally this recognition is a great talking point for families and students that may have not yet visited campus,” said Williams.
President Ioannis Miaoulis said that Bristol’s safety is, “a wonderful distinction for the town where we all work, learn and enjoy.”
Additionally, in regard to keeping RWU students safe in Bristol, Miaoulis said that the university works closely with the Bristol Police Department to ensure students are respectful and safe when exploring the Bristol community as well as when they live in off-campus housing.
To continue keeping Bristol and the RWU community a safe place for all community members, President Miaoulis’s advice was, “I would encourage us all to keep up the caring and respectful Hawk spirit that our students embody, not only on our campus but when you visit our local towns, too. You are always carrying the reputation of RWU with you in your actions.”