Boy, was I ever wrong.

When I said a few weeks ago that serious crime in the “north of 45th area” wasn’t as bad as the buzz, a mini crime wave dawned.

It was like getting slammed by brick-toting gang bangers.

Early in the morning after that column was printed, there was a robbery at gunpoint in the alley west of the 4700 block of 18th Avenue Northeast.

That next morning, four UW students were assaulted in the 4700 block of 17th Avenue Northeast by a group of at least 10 gang members with fists and bricks. Two were sent to the hospital.

To top it all off, there was an attempted mugging two days later on NE 45th Street near 17th Avenue Northeast — at 7 p.m. The near-victim booked it into the middle of the street and called 911.

Although the general consensus by police and university officials is that the crime streak is of unrelated incidents, I have no problem saying one thing: The scum in our area are getting pretty gutsy.

However, there is more to it than these three isolated events. According to the UWPD Incident Log, there have been six instances of auto theft on campus since the start of winter quarter.

For the record, that was one from the Central Parking Garage one from Lot E1, one from Lot E12, one from the Padelford Parking Garage, and two from behind Stevens Court.

Doing the math, a car has been stolen on campus about once a week.

Now that we’ve covered violence and cars, let’s talk about sex. Despite the several sex offenders that were ousted this fall, there are still 12 registered level-two or level-three sex offenders living in the U-District, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office online database.

By definition, many of these sex offenders have a “moderate” to “great” risk of re-offending, are predatory and are substance abusers. This doesn’t even include the level-one offenders in the area.

Eight of the level 2 and 3 offenders live on the 4700 block of 18th Avenue Northeast. That’s a high per capita ratio — 4700 isn’t that long of a block. It makes me worry a little about the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, who call 4700 home.

Now that I’ve scared most people, myself included, there is some good news: Crime is actually going down, and it’s pretty dramatic.

In an special e-mail sent to the UW community on Feb. 14, President mark Emmert made it clear that both the Seattle Police Department and UWPD will be expanding patrols in the “north of 45th area.” They plan to emphasize patrols on weekends, based on the recent episodes.

In addition, Emmert urged students to heighten their awareness, vigilance and intelligence, which is good advice.

Don’t walk alone late at night. Avoid sketchy areas like alleys and unlit backstreets. Call the police if you see something out of the ordinary or potentially dangerous.

Don’t be afraid to use the Husky NightWalk Program. If you need to get home and don’t have anyone to walk with, you can get a security guard escort by calling 685-WALK.

And, please, don’t be a hero. That never ends well.

Basically, just use your head. The police and the university are stepping up their game, and hopefully there will be a noticeable difference. They’re trying to do their part. Make their job a little easier and take care of yourself.

[Reach columnist Nick Feldman at features@thedaily.washington.edu.]