By Melissa Redmond
Correspondent
The College experienced considerable spikes in burglary last year, rising from 20 in 2007 to 34 in 2008, specifically motor vehicle theft, which rose from one in 2007 to 14 in 2008, according to the newly released 2008 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
On campus, there was a significant increase in drug related violations — 17 were reported in 2008, up from 6 in 2007, the report said.
Thefts, particularly in Lot 6, dropped in the spring 2009 semester, with only one reported car stolen in the beginning of the semester.
“We are doing better with our crime statistics this year,” Collins said.
In other categories, the College completely eliminated reported crimes such as sex assaults, which were at 3 in 2007, and had none reported for 2008.
For the majority of categories pertaining to hate crimes, the College has been able to keep crime at zero, except for reports of criminal mischief and vandalism. The College also had no reports of arson in 2008, the report said. Weapons possession has also gone down from three in 2007 to zero in 2008.
Crime statistic reports are released every October for the year prior, so the College will not be able to fully realize the changes in crime on campus from 2008 to 2009 until next October. Liquor law violations have decreased from 2007 to 2008, but there were still over 500 violations in 2008.
A consultant to install security cameras on campus will be hired by early spring at the suggestion of a security report released earlier this year.
“Improvements to surveillance in the parking lots are in the works for this year,” Chief of Campus Police John Collins said.
