By
Jose Ceja
Arizona Daily Wildcat
New report to inform UA community with crime statistics and safety tips
Information on campus crime statistics, along with other questions UA students have concerning the UAPD, can likely be answered through the new Annual Campus Safety and Security Report.
Under the 1990 Federal Crime Awareness and Security Act, universities and colleges are required to publish annual reports containing crime statistics, policy statements, program descriptions and procedures.
"If a parent wants to send their loved one to a particular school I think they have the right to know," said Sgt. Mike Smith of the UAPD.
The 15-page report, which is available at http:// w3.arizona.edu/~uapd/ 2000_security _report.htm, also includes advice on how to stay safe on campus, university and safety-related telephone numbers and definitions of certain violations such as marijuana possession and sexual assault.
"The Campus Safety Security Report is published to inform the faculty, staff, students and citizens of our crime statistics, policies and procedures concerning alcohol, drugs, sexual assault and general safety on the University of Arizona campus," Anthony Daykin, UAPD chief of police, said in the report.
Although the report lists crime statistics by crimes reported and arrests made, instead of per 1,000 students, it can still be useful for comparisons bearing in mind the location of a particular school, Smith said.
"It could be in a rural area or it could be in a major metropolitan area, and you have to look at that," he said.
Smith said the report can also be helpful in unifying definitions that can vary from state to state.
The UAPD, for example, classifies rape as sexual assault while other states may refer to it as rape, creating ambiguity.
"There are so many different laws and interpretations of reporting throughout the country, and this appears to be the first attempt at consolidating that," said Smith.
Daniel Acuri, a business freshman who recently read the report, said he was surprised at the low level of crime on campus and said that information such as that would have helped him decide what college to attend.
Acuri said the alcohol regulations and safety tips were particularly helpful because they are often not well-defined.
"A lot of it is common sense, but some I wasn't sure of it," he said.
