The Washington University Police Department released its 2000 crime statistics on October 1, showing an increase in six categories of on-campus crimes.
Statistics for off-campus property also rose: liquor law referrals rose from zero to eight and burglary rose from ten to 16 between 1999 and 2000.
Each incident, however, did not necessarily represent an increase in the amount of crime at WU. Under the federal Jeanne Cleary Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1990, all universities must publish an annual report of security policies and three years of crime statistics by October 1.
Congress amended the Jeanne Cleary Act in 1998 and increased crime-reporting responsibilities to include “an official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities,” not only campus police. University personnel who now have to report crimes include RAs and RCDs, among others. Cases that these officials observe do not always get reported to WUPD, so in the past they were not included on campus crime statistics.
The changes in the Cleary Act also require the university to report crimes that occur on its off-campus property and public property immediately surrounding the campus. The crime statistics for 2000 reported one forcible sex offense, one robbery, 16 burglaries and eight liquor law violations on WU off-campus properties. The statistics also recorded one robbery occurring on public property.
The broader guidelines, which took affect for reporting crimes in 1999, might account for an artificial increase in some of the numbers, such as the jump from zero liquor law violations in 1998 to 21 violations in 1999.
“We don’t know how to totally define who’s included, or what should be reported,” Hoffner said. “We’ve taken the stance here if in doubt, we’ll report it. We are not going to be involved in any cover-up type of thing. If we know about it, it’s out there.”
Burglary is the leading crime on WU’s campus. In 1999, there were 28 reported instances of on-campus burglary, and 10 off-campus burglaries. In 2000, there were 31 on-campus, and 16 off-campus burglaries reported. A third of the on-campus burglaries occurred over the summer when there were high turnover rates in several dorms.
Steve Hoffner, assistant vice-chancellor for students and director of operations, said many of the burglaries on campus were due to “victim opportunity,” which can be prevented.
“That is [because] people don’t lock their doors, or secure their belongings in such a way that would make it less likely that they would become a victim.”
A third of the on-campus burglaries occurred over the summer when there were high turnover rates in several dorms.
“Most assuring is the lack of person-to-person-type crime that occurs on our campus,” Don Strom, WUPD chief, said. “Those are the personal safety-type crimes that certainly have the potential to cause the most injury and have the most lasting impact on any community. The lack of those kinds of offenses is encouraging.”
Strom pointed out that WU’s crime was relatively low, particularly when compared to other metropolitan universities.
With only six forcible sex offences reported on campus over the past three years, along with two off campus, Strom said he is worried that the majority of sexual assault cases go unreported.
“I look at the sexual assault numbers, and my personal belief is that they do not accurately reflect the actual numbers of sexual offenses that occur on our campus,” Strom said. “Statistically, we know that crime is underreported, and there is no reason that I would believe our campus is any different from that. There are probably a number of other acquaintance-type assaults that are not recorded in one fashion or another.”
“We would like to see them reported, if for no other reason than to insure that the victim is getting the services and support that they need,” Strom continued.
Strom pointed out, however, that sexual assault was one of the only violent crimes which occurred on campus, and that it typically was an acquaintance crime. Paul Anderson, technical services manager for WUPD, said both cases reported in 2000 were acquaintance sexual assault.
A women’s self-defense class is among the new crime-prevention measures undertaken by WUPD and the university. Others include the bicycle lock program, computer identification tags, the blue-light phone system, the student Bear Patrol and a number of safety presentations.
In addition, the chancellor appointed a university standing committee on safety; its members walk the campus each year to identify ways to make the campus safer. The committee recommended to add additional lighting along walkways and in the Quadrangle during their last walkthrough.
“It’s an evolving process, always ongoing,” Hoffner said. “We are always thinking of ways in which we can be more effective. But we can only go so far. The people that are experiencing the problems need to meet us halfway. And if that happens, I think we can see those numbers go down in the future.”
Within the next couple of weeks, the United States Department of Education will collect the individual reports of those universities, which receive federal funding. The Department of Education will post the information on its Web site at http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/.
The 2001 Safety and Security Brochure is available on the WU Police Department’s Web site at http://www.rescomp.wustl.edu/~wupd/. The brochure contains everything from how to report a crime, to a list of counseling resources. It also includes common sense crime prevention tips, such as locking your door when you leave your room, even if it is for a short time.
WUPD Crime Statistics:
http://www.rescomp.wustl.edu/~wupd/stats.htm
Contact Brendan Watson at [email protected]