Campus crime dropped 11 percent last year, although thefts and burglaries increased dramatically at the Law Center, according to the annual crime statistics report released Friday by the university.
The 11 percent drop in crime on and around the Main Campus from 2005-2006 follows a 12 percent dip the year before.
The annual report, which the Department of Public Safety is required to release according to the Clery Act, showed statistics for the incidence of crimes on and around campus from Jan. 1, 2004 to Dec. 31, 2006.
Total reported crimes on the Law Center campus increased 42 percent, from 31 in 2005 to 44 in 2006. Vice President for University Safety Rocco DelMonaco attributed the high incidence of thefts at the Law Center to its urban setting.
“The Law Center area is a little different. . It is surrounded by offices,” DelMonaco said.
Burglaries at the Law Center increased from two in 2005 to 10 in 2006, and thefts increased from 28 to 34, according to the report.
Reported thefts decreased on the main campus from 243 to 225 from 2005 to 2006, and reported burglaries dropped from 26 to 22 in the same time period. In addition, whereas there were 11 aggravated assaults reported on the main campus in 2005, none were reported in 2006.
The numbers of non-arrest campus referrals, which includes drug and alcohol violations, increased 6 percent during 2006, with drug and alcohol violations both increasing from 9 to 31 and 882 to 903 respectively. There were no reported arrests for drug violations, down from four in 2005.
Despite the overall decrease in crime, there were several major safety incidents on and around campus in 2006, including the shooting of a senior in February 2006 and two large on-campus fights last fall, including one in September that sent three Department of Public Safety officers to the hospital.
After these and several other assaults and brawls on campus this year, DPS took several measures to enhance campus safety, including videotaping large-scale incidents. DelMonaco said that several programs instituted this past summer aim to improve the safety of the campus, which included the retraining of security marshals.
“All marshals are now equipped with two-way radios, which have emergency power, so that, even if the power goes out, the marshals are still able to use the radios,” DelMonaco said.
In addition, negotiations this summer led to agreements for better training and equipping the officers with mace, batons and protective vests, DelMonaco said.
“A lot of training must occur before they carry these,” DelMonaco said. “Learning when to use them is as important as how to use it.”
DPS Director Darryl Harrison could not be reached for comment.
The Clery Act requires that all colleges and universities receiving financial aid release an annual report on crime statistics.
