With housing selection for the 2013 school year right around the corner, residence hall safety might be a determining factor on some students’ pros and cons lists when choosing a dorm.

According to the Department of Public Safety’s crime log, Reynolds Hall has the highest crime numbers with a total of 18 reported incidents, including theft, burglary and assault, between Jan. 1 and Oct. 17. This is significantly higher than other residence halls, such as Harbin Hall, the dorm with the second highest crime rate, which had 11 incidents since the beginning of the year.

Village C East, an upperclassmen dorm located behind Dahlgren Quadrangle, posted the lowest amount of crime, with one recorded incident since the beginning of 2011.

Yongmin Hwang (COL ’12), who lives in Reynolds, said that he thinks his hall’s upperclassmen population and its location in the back of campus contributes to its high crime rate.

“Honestly, I lived in Harbin freshman year, and I thought Harbin was more rowdy. Reynolds is quiet. The social life is less active than in freshman dorms,” he said. According to Hwang, the quieter role of Residence Assistants in upperclassmen dorms may make the buildings easier targets for illegal activity.

Harbin resident Caroline Epstein (SFS ’15) said that she trusts the dorm’s security measures but still tries to take extra precautions against crime.

“I feel pretty safe in Harbin, but I still lock my door,” she said. “Safety definitely plays a big role in which dorm we choose.”

According to Director of Media Relations Rachel Pugh, there has been an overall downward trend in crime on and near campus despite the number of residence hall incidents.

“Over the past several years we have worked hard to help make the University a safer place for our campus community,” she wrote in an email.

The university has implemented several safety measures to help address safety concerns, including a Community Action Team that helps students work with the university to address crime problems and a bike patrol program that allows greater coverage of campus and faster response times.

“The safety of our community is a top priority for us and we will continue to remind our students to be vigilant and notify DPS if they notice suspicious activities or individuals in or around our residence halls, apartments or townhouses,” Pugh said.