Decrease shown in crime statistics

By NIKKI COLLINS

The mood among students has been one of fear because of the recent off-campus attack of a Santa Clara student.

"I get really scared at night," senior Jamey Scritchfield said. "I run from room to room when everyone's asleep because I feel like there's someone watching me or in the next room waiting to jump out at me."

Despite recent safety concerns on and around campus, safety officials say that Santa Clara's on-campus crime statistics have been dropping since the 1992-93 school year."Reported crimes of all types on campus have dropped steadily over the years, including this year," University Spokesperson Barry Holtzclaw said.

Crimes on campus are down more than 60 percent from 1992, and nearly 38 percent from two years ago.

According to the available Public Safety Crime Statistics Report, there were 173 on-campus crimes reported to Public Safety last year and 277 in 1997. During the 1992-93 school year, there were 442 on-campus crimes reported.

Theft has constituted most of the crimes reported on Santa Clara's campus, with vandalism taking second place, according to the report. Liquor violations have been Santa Clara's third most prevalent crime, followed by (in descending order) burglary, assaults, drug law violations, aggravated assault, arson, gang incidents, rape, motor vehicle thefts, hate crimes, robbery and homicide. There were no on-campus homicides in 1998-99, according to the report. No on-campus rapes have been reported since two occurred during the 1994-95 school year.

The report also shows Santa Clara Police Department re-ported crimes within a three-fourths mile radius around the university campus. Last year, most crimes in this vicinity were either theft or liquor law violations. Other differences include one reported homicide and four reported rapes.

So why the decline in crime?

According to Assistant Director of Public Safety Dick Michaelson, there are many reasons for the decrease.

"It's a trend nationwide," Michaelson said. "A lot has to do with sentencing laws and the three strikes policy. I would like to think it has something to do with technological advancments."Michaelson says the school is investing in technology to ensure a safer community."When it comes to funding, the administration is very proactive regarding safety," Michaelson said. "They've given us a capital expenditure of over $50,000 just for technological equipment that is being implemented in the field."

This equipment includes cameras, bar code technology and computer citation systems. Bar code technology is used to gain admittance into residence halls and other Santa Clara buildings.

According to Michaelson, computer citation systems, which were implemented last week, are directly related to parking tickets, but indirectly related to safety. Computer citations take much less time, therefore there is more time available for officers to patrol the field. This increases visibility, and thus safety.

"We're working smarter, not necessarily harder," Michaelson said.

The university is planning on implementing self-defense programs for women, men and faculty. The programs will begin sometime after the first of the year, and will train people how to defend themselves during an attack. The classes will consist of 12 hours of training, and will most likely be held in the Pat Malley Fitness Center.

"Overall, Santa Clara is a safe place to live and go to school," SCPD Officer Dennis Grilli said. "People just need to be aware of their surroundings and use common sense."

The suspect in the Oct. 5 attack of a university student is still at large.