Southeast DPS reports crime decline in 2001

POSITIVE TREND ~

By Jeremy Joffray ~ Southeast Missourian

Southeast Missouri State University saw a 5.4 percent drop in crimes reported for the 2001, the university's Department of Public Safety reported in its annual report released Wednesday.

"As usual our crime rate as compared to other campuses is relatively low," said Doug Richards, director of DPS. "Overall, it's a relatively safe campus."

The report places crimes reported on campus into two categories, with crimes regarded as more serious or more frequently occurring labeled Part I crimes, and less serious infractions Part II crimes.

For 2001, there were 93 Part I and 100 Part II crimes reported.

Keeping crime rates low on campus is helped by a staff with an average of nine years' experience with the department, Richards said.

"We have excellent and well-seasoned police officers here," he said. "You can't buy experience as far as policing goes."

Part I crimes for the 2001 academic year decreased by one from the previous year. This marked the first decrease in Part I crimes in five years.

"Unfortunately, in our society you're never going to totally eliminate crime," Richards said. "Our goal is to reduce it to its lowest minimal level we can get it at."

Frequent larceny

Larceny was once again the most reported crime on campus, with 88 reported incidences for 2001, down 3.3 percent from 2000. Of the 406 Part I crimes reported over the past five years, 388 have been for larceny.

Richards said that education is a key to reducing the problem of theft on campus.

"We try to educate people how not to become a victim of a theft," he said. "To become a victim of a crime you have to give the criminal an opportunity. We try to stress eliminating the opportunity."

Parking Area 9, also known as "Pig Lot," had the most reported incidences of larceny on campus, with 12. Dearmont Hall had five reported larcenies, the most of any residence hall.

For the most part, students at Southeast seem to feel safe on campus.

Quick response times by campus officers helps to create a fairly safe environment, said Ryan Miller, a junior at Southeast.

"It's not really that much of an issue," he said. "Everything is well lit, and you're always within running distance of a phone or dorm."

Of the four Part I crimes considered crimes against persons -- homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault -- only a robbery was reported last year.

Over the past five years, only 1 percent of Part I crimes have been crimes against persons. During that time, there have been no homicides reported, and there has only been one report of aggravated assault.

Through the use of lighted corridors, a shuttle service, closed-circuit cameras, a 24-hour police force and a service that escorts students across campus late at night, Southeast rarely sees any serious crimes, Richards said.

Reporting vandals

Of the 100 Part II crimes, vandalism accounted for 51 of the reported incidences, with liquor violation and harassment being the next most frequently reported.

Senior Mindi Hisaw said she rarely feels unsafe while on campus.

"I think Southeast is a really safe campus," Hisaw said. "DPS is present about everywhere you go on campus. It's hard to imagine anything can go on because they're such a presence here."

Besides the Part I and Part II crimes, the report also gives a listing of student conduct violations. This list takes into account violations of the student code of conduct, which are dealt with by the Judicial Affairs Office of the university.

Richards said that it is important for him to include these numbers, even though they are not required to be made public by the state.

"It is our responsibility to make sure to send a clear and concise picture of what goes on on-campus," he said.

Besides crime, the annual report also features data on parking and the amount of parking tickets given out. For 2001, 47,324 tickets were written, an increase of 6,040 tickets from 2000.

Richards said that this problem stems from a lack of space available for parking near the buildings.

jjoffray@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 226