Dad hires 'security consultant' to keep an eye on his freshman daughter at NYU, where crime has surged over the years

NEW YORK CITY, NY - A freshman at New York University (NYU) will be taking on her first year with a set of extra eyes on her thanks to the bodyguard her father hired. According to a report with the New York Post, a protective Maryland father, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that he hired a "security consultant" for his 19-year-old daughter because he is worried about the crime surge in New York City.

Over the last three years, crime has surged on or near campus, which is located in Greenwich Village. The 52-year-old real estate investor said, "I was very apprehensive of New York and I am worried about her." The father said that NYU was her "first and only" choice when it came to schools. The "security consultant" will help the freshman, who is studying business and the arts, safely navigate the five boroughs. 

The father said, "I believe information is the best disinfectant and knowing what areas to go to, what areas to avoid is absolutely critical, particularly for a young person navigating a city or even a situation on their own for the first time away from home." He added, "I don't know whether this is enough; I hope it is. As a father, you want to equip your child with all the information you can possibly get them, and hope they make good decisions."

After a weekslong search, the father filled the 25-hours-a-week position last month, hiring an experienced female private investigator. While the father would not share how much he is paying her, the Post reported that the going rate for such a gig in New York City is more than $50 per hour. Lauren Zucker-Pliner at Household Staffing, a "discreet" employment agency in Pennsylvania, was retained by the father to find the "security consultant." 

On August 15th, she posted on Facebook that her agency was looking to hire "an officer" to keep an eye on a client's daughter and "ensure she will be safe while at school." The posting said that the candidate should possess "knowledge of any active emergency situations happening in or around the city that a college student should be warned about." The posting said that the position seeks someone to "walk her around the city and educate her on what areas she should avoid."

As the posting explained, the perfect person for the position would "build a relationship with their daughter" through shared interests, "such as yoga or Pilates." The posting said, "One day, you may be accompanying her to the Bronx Zoo, the next you may be just calling her to check in and see where she will be for the week, so you are aware to keep an eye on those areas."

As wild as the hire may seem, according to the data surrounding crime near NYU, the dad's concerns about his daughter's safety are justified. Over the last few years, crime has been on the rise across all of NYU's locations. So far in 2024, NYU security has recorded 771 criminal incidents at the university's Greenwich Village, Brooklyn Commons, Midtown Center, Upper East Side, and Kips Bay campuses. Those numbers are up 27 percent from the 606 reported in 2022. 

From January 1st to September 30th of 2024, there have been nine robberies, 10 felony assaults, and five rapes on and around the five NYU campuses. During 2023, the incidents were even higher, with 807 criminal incidents overall during the January 1st to September 30th timeframe, including 11 robberies, eight felony assaults, and eight rapes. According to NYU's online daily crime log, all eight reported rapes in 2023 occurred in student housing on the Village campus. 

Crime data in the New York Police Department's 6th Precinct, which covers NYU's Village campus, is down 14 percent overall, and in each of the seven major crime categories. However, hate crimes are up 55 percent, from 11 in 2023 to 17 in 2024, and sex crimes other than rape are also up 11 percent, with 52 so far in 2024 compared to 47 during the same time in 2023.

In a recent incident, NYU softball player Alexa Very was groped by a man while on a jog in Chelsea and ended up breaking her hand while fending him off with punches. The Post spoke with students on NYU's Village campus, where security guards were ever present and most of those students supported the father's protective instincts. 

French graduate student Lou Germain, 26, said who witnessed a violent assault nearby said, "It is excessive, but I can't blame them. If you've got the money for it and you want your kid to be safe, why not?" An 18-year-old from Virginia said, "I think it's better to be safe than sorry." Michelle Ip, 20, said that she's very "wary of my surroundings" but feels "relatively" safe at NYU. She said, "I'm from the Bay Area where the homeless can be crazy and they'll bother you, but in New York, they keep the crazy to themselves."