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Campus crime report shows drop in alcohol-related offenses

DUI, liquor law violations dip to four-year low; theft on the rise

Despite a dramatic increase in reported theft on the University of Arizona campus, the UA Police Department's annual campus safety and security report released last week shows a significant decrease in reported alcohol-related crimes.

According to the report, reported liquor law violations dropped from 209 in 1998 to 187 in 1999. This figure is also lower than in 1997, with 225 violations, and 1996, with 223 violations.

DUI arrests continued to drop to 81 in 1999 compared to 86 in 1998, 112 in 1997 and 119 in 1996.

Theft increased to 776 reports from 563 in 1998.

Sgt. Michael Smith, UAPD spokesman, said the annual report - which was sent to all students, faculty and staff - gives them a chance to follow crime statistics on the UA campus.

"This gives an overall picture of what we (UAPD) do here on campus and what kind of crimes and calls we deal with," Smith said. "We want to give people an idea of what goes on and let them know some things about us that they might not get just from reading the Arizona Daily Wildcat everyday."

The annual crime report is a requirement by law for all universities and colleges with government-funding ties, including land grants and other moneys, Smith said.

The law was signed into effect in 1990 by President George Bush after Jeanne Clery, a freshman, was murdered while sleeping in her residence hall room at Lehigh University in 1986, Smith said.

The law is called the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.

But Smith and Paul Reinhardt, crime prevention officer for UAPD, said there is more to the annual report than just statistics.

"There are some people on campus that probably haven't been around law enforcement much in their lives," Reinhardt, said. "We want to give those people, and everyone else, a good impression of our department and let them know who to contact and how to get a hold of them if the situation calls for it. We want people to know what we do here."

The report also gives UAPD policy, crime definitions, campus safety tips and emergency contact information.

The back page of the report features contact information from the UA Dean of Students Office to temporary employment agencies to contacts for child and domestic abuse victims.

"We made this hoping people would hold onto it," Reinhardt said. "It is very handy and I absolutely recommend that students and staff keep it in a desk near the phone. If that person needs help or even if a friend needs emergency information, the report can be very useful."

Smith said the report is also designed to be a gateway to more personal communication between the UAPD and students, staff and faculty.

"If people want to get a hold of us to speak about campus safety or what our job is, they can feel free to call us any time to set up a meeting," Smith said.