Already this semester, there has been a rash of 25 vehicle lot crimes at The University of Memphis, an increase of 16 compared to this time last year.
And although the number of assaults is down, robbery is essentially at the same level as last year, with two so far, and three reported through March last year.
Public Safety Director Bruce Harber said the increase of crimes on campus in the spring is typical after the long winter break.
“Many opportunists, as we call them, who have been spending most of their time in different parts of town come back to The University when classes start back because they know there will be a lot of traffic again,” Harber said.
Although The U of M campus has not seen an increase in violent crime so far this year, Harber said the vehicle lot crimes increase so early this semester has prompted Police Services to focus on the problem and change some of their procedures.
“We have officers in the parking lots almost around the clock,” Harber said.
Derek Myers, associate director of Public Safety, said there are a number of things students can do to ensure the safety of their vehicles and valuables.
“Don’t leave your books or property unattended, and don’t leave anything valuable in your car,” Myers said.
Myers also said one of the major reasons for vehicle break-ins is students leaving compact disc holders carrying up to 100 CDs in their cars.
“Pick your 10 favorite CDs to keep in your car, but not 50 to 100,” Myers said. “There are too many places where someone can sell 50 CDs for a dollar each and make $50.”
At this point, Myers said the crime rates on The U of M campus are back up to the 2001 level but almost exclusively because of vehicle lot crimes.
“We still have time in the year to keep the levels of campus crimes down to the level they were at last year for the next two-thirds of this year,” Myers said.
The most recent crime on campus was not vehicular, however.
The U of M Department of Public Safety issued a personal safety alert Wednesday after the latest armed robbery occurred on campus last weekend.
In the campus-wide e-mail, Harber said the robbery took place at 12:40 a.m. Saturday, March 15 during spring break.
According to Harber, Sudhir Singh, a U of M student, was walking east on Veterans Avenue when a male following him on to the campus called out to him to get the victim to slow down and wait for him. When the suspect reached the victim, he demanded the victim’s wallet. The victim said the suspect was armed, so he complied with the suspect, who removed a small amount of cash and credit, debit, and ID cards from the wallet.
The suspect is an African-American male about 20-25 years old, 6’2” tall and about 170 pounds. The victim said the suspect had short black hair, was clean-shaven with a neat appearance and was wearing a dark shirt and blue jeans. Police Services is urging students to take extra precautions while outside at night. Harber suggests that students observe what is going on around them and try not to walk alone.
“Lately, we are encouraging people to go out in groups of three or more instead of just two,” Harber said. “The larger the group is, the safer it is. And, of course, try to walk in well-lit areas. The places where you feel most comfortable are the places where the potential criminal feels most vulnerable.”
Most importantly, according to Harber, students must trust their instincts.
“Know the location of all of the emergency phones on campus, and if you feel the least bit uncomfortable, call us,” Harber said. “If you have a cell phone, keep campus safety on speed dial.”
Harber said the next public safety forum will be held in April, but the date has not been fixed. The forum will allow students, faculty and staff to see current crime statistics for the year and discuss any items that may be of concern.
