Safety Forum offers tips, reassurance

"The average crime rate on index crimes is 42 crimes perthousand across the United States and here on campus it's about 17per thousand," director of public safety Bruce Harber said."That's where that 60 percent comes from."

Harber spoke Wednesday at The U of M Department of PublicSafety's Campus Safety Forum. The Department hosts the forum eachsemester to inform students, faculty and staff about what Policeand Parking Services are doing to create a safe learning andworking environment on the campus of The U of M. Campus policeofficers also gave tips for personal safety and how to preventvehicle break-ins and theft.

The word most repeated at the safety forum was"opportunity." The majority of the crimes committed oncampus in 2002 were crimes of "opportunity," according tocampus police's Campus Safety Facts.

"Most campus crimes, 87 percent in 2002, are propertycrimes and crimes of opportunity, usually involving a preventabletheft and where the victim is never confronted or in danger,"Harber said. "We had (in 2002) very few crimes againstpeople."

Despite motor vehicle theft and vehicle larceny being up in 2002from 2001, overall campus crime went down 21.1 percent. Harberattributed the decrease in crime to a greater police presence oncampus and other police initiatives like the installation of lightsand fences around the Zach Curlin parking lots.

The University Department of Public Safety has also had Webcameras installed in the administration building. New alarm systemsthat allow for quicker police response times are replacing olderones in buildings across campus.

"We are phasing in new software-driven door locks on allthe buildings as old ones need to be replaced," Derek Myersdeputy director of public safety said. "They are currently inWilder, Brister, Patterson, Johnson and the psychologybuilding."

Myers also said the new FedEx Technology Institute and thelibrary will be the next buildings to get the new door locks.

In addition to informing those in attendance about campus safetyenhancements, police services also educated students, faculty andstaff as to what they could do to deter personal attacks andprevent crime.

"Everyone on campus should have the police department'sphone number programmed into their cell phone on speed dial,"Nikki Acerra, crime prevention coordinator, said.

If you do not have a cell phone there are 14 outdoor emergencyphones on parking lots, in open areas and on the parking gates thatcan be used to immediately contact The University police. There arealso emergency phones in the lobbies of all academic buildings.Exact locations of the open area phones can be found on TheUniversity Department of Public Safety Web site,http://bf.memphis.edu/police.

Traveling in groups of three or more in well-lit areas, carryingpurses and bags close to your body and avoiding isolated areas andshortcuts also topped Accera's list of things that can be done todeter personal attacks.

Preventing crime and theft, Myers said, is relatively easy.

"Don't leave money in your car," he said. "Acriminal-minded person will break your window for $2 inchange."

Leaving CDs and CD cases in plain sight is a simple way toprevent vehicle larceny, Myers said. Be careful to put those andother valuables away or in the trunk before you arrive on campusand park your car. Often times, Myers said, criminals watch theparking lots looking for the opportunity to break into a car. Thiswill greatly decrease your chances of being a victim, he said.

In the event you are attacked or your vehicle broken into orstolen, contact campus police immediately, Harber said.

"Our concentrated jurisdiction allows response times inmany instances of three minutes or less," Harber said."This far exceeds the 4 to 6 minute response time many(campus) police agencies strive for."

With a force of 30 officers (larger than that of the city ofMillington, Tenn.), The University police often have officersresponding to calls while the victim is still in the process oftelling dispatch where they are and what is going on, saidAcerra.

Crime on Campus Year-to-Date Jan. 1- Dec. 312001-2002

The results-to-date for 2003 will be posted on the Public SafetyWeb site, http://bf.memphis.edu/police, in May.