Correction appended
On-campus vehicle theft, hate crimes and alcohol and drug abuse violations increased from 2009 to 2010, according to the Department of Public Safety’s annual security report.
The number of burglary incidents decreased in the past year.
All crime rates at Tenley Campus, however, decreased from 2009 to 2010.
Liquor and drug violations
On-campus drug abuse violations have risen substantially from five violations in 2008 to 77 last year, according to the report.
On-campus liquor law violations that have been referred to Student Conflict and Resolution Services have also been on the rise in the past three years from 244 in 2008 to 386 in 2010, according to the report.
No arrests related to liquor law violations have been made, while there have been three on-campus arrests related to drug abuse violations.
Hate crimes
There were four hate crimes committed on campus in 2010, three of them motivated by religious discrimination. The other attack was related to sexual orientation.
There were no recorded hate crimes on campus based on race or ethnicity in 2010.
Hate crimes are typically differentiated from regular crimes depending on the motivation of attacker. But making that distinction isn’t always easy.
“It’s very hard to prove somebody’s intent,” said Christine Anthony, the assistant director of Student Conflict and Resolution Services.
For example, if the attacker yells racial slurs or if a vandalism incident includes homophobic insults, it is considered a hate crime.
A person does not need to be self-identified as a minority to be the subject of a hate crime. If an attacker perceives a victim as a social minority, it is counted as a hate crime, Anthony said.
“If someone thinks I am a religious minority, and commits a crime against me because of that, it doesn’t matter if I am a religious minority or not,” she said.
Burglary
Burglaries decreased by 45 percent from 2009 to 2010. The majority of burglaries were laptop computer thefts that took place in residence halls.
The decrease is the result of increased awareness in students about burglary, more guidance from the Department of Education and extra measures taken by Public Safety, according to Public Safety Logistics and Compliance Coordinator Adam Cooper.
“The Department of Public Safety has issued alerts reminding community members to lock their office/residential doors, as well as reporting keys to DPS immediately,” Cooper said in an email. “We have also stressed the importance of not admitting anyone as a guest unless they are your guest.”
Housing and Dining Programs Director Chris Moody said many of the burglaries are the result of students not locking their doors in the residence halls.
“Students sometimes become comfortable with their surroundings living in a residence hall community and do not lock their door behind them when going to class, the bathroom or a friend’s room,” Moody said.
Housing and Dining Programs will continue installing double card swipe system in residence halls and electronic room locks on dorm rooms during renovations to increase security, Moody said.
These numbers are not a cause to worry because many burglaries are the result of unlocked doors and unattended items, according to Cooper.
“If there were a need for serious concern, DPS will issue a ‘Crime Alert’ when the director of Public Safety or their designee considers the crime(s) to represent a serious or continuing threat to students and employees,” he said.
Sexual Assault
There was one reported incident of sexual assault in 2010, down from three incidents in 2009.
“[T]he decrease can be attributed to a combination of factors, presumably, sexual assault education would be one of these,” Cooper said.
Arson
No arson incidents were reported in 2010.
Public Safety recorded three incidents of arson in 2009, two of which were unrelated incidents that occurred on the same night, according to Cooper.
He said the decrease in arson incidents was the result of informing the public with Crime Alerts.
“These alerts helped to increase awareness in and around campus residential facilities,” Cooper said.
Motor Vehicle Theft
Motor vehicle theft has steadily increased since 2008, according to the crime report.
There were three incidents in 2010, compared to two in 2009 and one in 2008.
All three 2010 incidents were motorized scooters, according to Cooper.
Cooper said Public Safety is handling this increase by releasing motor vehicle theft alerts as they occur and patrolling the areas where motor vehicles are stolen.
The federal government mandates that all universities must publish a report recording all of the crimes that happened on campus. AU has been publishing these reports since 2001.
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A previous version of this article stated that there were three incidents of arson in 2010. There were no reported arson incidents in 2010; the three incidents were in 2009. The article also stated AU has been publishing the Annual Security Report since 2005, but, in actuality, it has been publishing the report since 2001. A previous version also stated that there were five hate crimes in 2010; there were four hate crimes.
