The 2006 Clery Report for UH is an accurate, but incomplete, picture of an overall drop in crime statistics on campus, Chief of Police Malcolm Davis said Wednesday.
The report includes crimes committed on campus, but not what has been to done to address them.
"We are talking about changing how things are done next year and including information on some of the cases that have been cleared," Davis said.
The report was released by the University on Oct. 1 and showed a reduction in crime in several categories, including robbery and arson, thanks to the hiring of additional patrol officers and increased police visibility, Davis said.
"(UHPD) has 17 officers that are now bike certified. They wear a bright yellow, reflective uniform. Parking enforcement officers are now in highly visible uniforms," Davis said. "Most people looking for a place to commit a crime want to find the least resistance possible. That’s why (UHPD) is trying to be more visible."
Davis said UHPD will continue to increase the numbers of officers on campus.
In a previous interview with The Daily Cougar, Davis said that a $344,000 increase in UHPD’s budget for fiscal year 2007 has created four new positions within his department – three for commissioned police officers – bringing the total to 48 as of September.
According to statistics from the 2006 report, there has been a decrease in most crimes with the exception of an increase of 50 percent or more in forcible sex offenses and arrests for liquor law and drug-related violations.
Six forcible sex offenses were reported in 2006, an increase of three from 2005, but Davis said only two of the victims were sexually assaulted while the other four informed UHPD "that some guy walked up and grabbed their butt."
"By the Clery (Act), that is a forcible sex offense. If we had arrested the people, it would have gone down as a misdemeanor. So, the Clery Report does not use the penal code definition for a lot of offenses," Davis said.
Motor vehicle thefts also dropped to 29 in 2006 from 39 in 2005, partly because of an increased number of parking lot cameras, Davis said.
Students said that UH’s security measures give them peace of mind.
"If we didn’t have cameras in the parking lots, I would be a lot more concerned about safety," biology senior James Nguyen said.
Robberies at UH have decreased dramatically – only four were reported in 2006 as compared to 17 in 2004.
The report’s categorization and grouping of crimes can be confusing, Davis said, and can sometimes make less serious crimes seem worse.
A recent attempted robbery occurred as a man walked on campus at 2 a.m. and was approached by two other men. The men asked the victim to hand over his money. When the victim asked if it was a serious threat, the two men shrugged and walked away, Davis said.
"The victim told UHPD, so we still have to report it," Davis. "It is a $27,000 fine for each crime not reported for Clery."
The annual report is mandated by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, which requires colleges to reveal information about crimes committed on their campuses.
The act was originally passed in 1990 and known as the Student Right-to-Know, but it was amended in 1998 to become the Clery Act. Jeanne Clery was killed in her dormitory room at Lehigh University in 1986. Clery’s parents, Howard and Connie Clery, discovered 38 violent crimes at Lehigh University had not been disclosed during a three-year time frame before Jeanne Clery’s death.
When asked about the Clery Report, many students did not know what it was.
But finance senior Bob Jones said, crime is not a problem on the UH campus.
"As a man, I don’t feel threatened by these statistics," he said. "People leave their cell phones laying around at the library and blame others when they disappear, like they are surprised someone stole it."
A printed copy of the UH Clery Report can be obtained at the UH Department of Public Safety at 3869 Wheeler Ave., Entrance 12, or the report can be viewed online at www.uh.edu/police/annual_report.html
