Decrease in Crime Rate Evident in Annual Report
BILL COSGROVE
Issue date: 10/3/06 Section: News
There were 10 reports of burglary on campus in 2005, which is less than the 13 reported incidents in 2004, but more than the nine incidents reported in 2003.
When asked if there were any statistics that jumped out at him, Dean of Students Fred Alford said, "The most troubling crimes are those that involve physical and emotional injury to a person such as assault and sex offenses. When thinking about those, statistics pale because one is too many."
There were six reported incidents of forcible sex offenses, which is any sexual act directed against another person in 2005, forcibly and/or against that person's will, or not forcibly or against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent. As of this past June, there have been six forcible sex offenses on campus reported to Campus Safety.
One area where students are always concerned is motor vehicle theft on campus. Haley Kimmet '08, who has received parking citations from Campus Safety and whose car has been vandalized while parked on Summit Street, was surprised to learn how many cars are stolen each year on campus. "I'm a little irritated to find that while Campus Safety officers always seem to pull through on parking tickets and [towing cars], cars are disappearing under their watch," she said.
Statistics from the Annual Report point to a decrease in the number of cars stolen at Trinity over the past three years: In 2003, there were 21 reported incidents of motor vehicle theft on campus; 17 reported in 2004, and 13 in 2005. However, from January of 2006 to this past June there were 15 incidents of motor vehicle theft reported to Campus Safety. Despite those numbers, there has not been one auto theft reported on campus since the end of August. "I attribute this to high visibility of the Campus Safety staff and HPD," said Lyons. "However, we are always aware that auto theft problems can reappear at any time. Campus Safety is currently working with HPD in an aggressive manner to limit auto theft activity on campus." Lyons also noted that last month HPD reported 67 car thefts in the two neighborhoods in which the college is located, and none of those thefts took place on campus. "We all must realize that this can change at anytime and must take steps to try to prevent this," he said.
When asked if there were any statistics that jumped out at him, Dean of Students Fred Alford said, "The most troubling crimes are those that involve physical and emotional injury to a person such as assault and sex offenses. When thinking about those, statistics pale because one is too many."
There were six reported incidents of forcible sex offenses, which is any sexual act directed against another person in 2005, forcibly and/or against that person's will, or not forcibly or against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent. As of this past June, there have been six forcible sex offenses on campus reported to Campus Safety.
One area where students are always concerned is motor vehicle theft on campus. Haley Kimmet '08, who has received parking citations from Campus Safety and whose car has been vandalized while parked on Summit Street, was surprised to learn how many cars are stolen each year on campus. "I'm a little irritated to find that while Campus Safety officers always seem to pull through on parking tickets and [towing cars], cars are disappearing under their watch," she said.
Statistics from the Annual Report point to a decrease in the number of cars stolen at Trinity over the past three years: In 2003, there were 21 reported incidents of motor vehicle theft on campus; 17 reported in 2004, and 13 in 2005. However, from January of 2006 to this past June there were 15 incidents of motor vehicle theft reported to Campus Safety. Despite those numbers, there has not been one auto theft reported on campus since the end of August. "I attribute this to high visibility of the Campus Safety staff and HPD," said Lyons. "However, we are always aware that auto theft problems can reappear at any time. Campus Safety is currently working with HPD in an aggressive manner to limit auto theft activity on campus." Lyons also noted that last month HPD reported 67 car thefts in the two neighborhoods in which the college is located, and none of those thefts took place on campus. "We all must realize that this can change at anytime and must take steps to try to prevent this," he said.
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