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Volu me 105 Issue 37
UH Mānoa crime report shows increase in motor vehicle thefts DANIEL JACKSON Staff Reporter
Campus Security has released the 2010 Annual Crime Report, and according to the statistics, dorm residents appear to have reasons to celebrate, while students parking mo-peds on campus may not. Although liquor law violations in dormitories and other residential facilities increased by 148 percent, burglaries decreased by 34 percent, and forcible sex offenses decreased by 80 percent from 2008 to 2009. Motor vehicle thefts on campus, however, increased by 966 percent. “As far as motor vehicle thefts, we have very, very few, until you add in mo-peds,” said one high-ranking Campus Security official. 2009 was the first year mo-peds were included in motor vehicle thefts.
C R I M E R E P O R T H I S T O RY
The Annual Crime Report is published every October in accordance with the “Clery Act,” a federal law that requires colleges and universities to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. The Clery Act is named for Jeanne Clery, a 19-yearold university freshman who was raped and murdered while asleep in her dorm room on April 5, 1986. Jeanne’s parents, along with other victims of crimes on campus, persuaded Congress to enact this law after learning that students had not been told about violent crimes on the university campus in the years preceding their daughter’s murder.
S TAT I S T I C A L C OM PA R I S O N S BY Y E A R The 2010 Annual Crime Report includes statistics, which are divided by type and location, for 2007, 2008 and 2009, detailed
JOEL KUTAKA / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I
Although 2009 saw statistical decreases in almost every major on-campus crime category, the amount of motor vehicle thefts, which now includes mo-peds, increased by 966 percent. guidelines of campus safety policies and advice on preventing and reporting crime. With 2009 being the fi rst year mo-peds were included in the motor vehicle theft category, oncampus motor vehicle thefts rose from three in 2007 and 2008, to 32 in 2009. Motor vehicle thefts from campus housing rose from two in 2007 and one in 2008 to 18. “The actual number one thing that’s stolen on campus is bicycles … and mo-peds are the second to bicycles,” said one security official. In-dormitory burglaries fell from 32 in 2008 to 21 in 2009 for a decrease of 34 percent, and saw a 22 percent decrease from the 27 reported in 2007. However, the total number of on-campus burglaries, which includes the in-dormi-
tory reports, rose from 43 in 2007 and 47 in 2008 to 56 for increases of 30 percent and 19 percent, respectively. Forcible sex offenses on campus, all of which occurred in dormitories, dropped from three in 2007 and fi ve in 2008, to one in 2009 for decreases of 67 percent and 80 percent, respectively. Aggravated assaults stayed the same for 2008 and 2009, with four reported in both years, but saw a decrease of 33 percent when compared to the six in 2007. “The more serious crimes are rare, such as robberies, assaults, but when it does come up, it’s a big concern because of the personal safety,” said Wayne Ogino, Chief of Campus Security. All liquor law and drug-related violations in 2009 occurred in
the dormitories. In-dormitory liquor law violations rose from 291 in 2008 to 721 in 2009 for an increase of 148 percent. Although, compared to the 616 reported in 2007, liquor law violations saw only a 17 percent increase. Likewise, drug-related violations rose from 54 in 2008 to 84 in 2009 for an increase of 56 percent. However, when compared to the 112 reported in 2007, 2009 saw a decrease of 25 percent. A security official attributed these fluctuations to the changing focus regarding violations of student housing conduct policies and which instances new student housing directors may regard as warranting a referral for disciplinary action.
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES Christopher Pennington, a ju-
nior and resident of Gateway House, said that he has no concerns for his safety but told the story of how a few days prior on his way to dinner, a friend had commented on it being “only a matter of time” before an unlocked mo-ped at the bike rack would be stolen. When he returned less than 45 minutes later, he witnessed the owner of that mo-ped outside trying to make sense of an empty bike rack. “I’m aware of the fact that there are a lot of mo-ped thefts, and that it is a problem not only on campus, but elsewhere,” said Chelsea Yamase, a junior who commutes to campus on her moped. “Yeah, I feel safe parking on campus, but I defi nitely lock it everywhere I go,” she added. “I feel physically safe, but if I left the door open someone could swing right in and take just about anything they want,” said Harley Diven, a sophomore and resident of Hale Aloha Ilima. “People are going after what they can get and sell quickly,” said a security offi cial. He described how burglaries on upper campus often target items that workers tend to leave inside desks, such as cancelled checks, credit card information, spare keys and identifi cation cards, and burglaries in dormitories tend to target items such as laptops, iPods and other portable devices. “One challenge that we face is that it’s a large campus, over 300 acres. It’s wide open, accessible to the public, so it’s a very difficult campus to secure ... I’m never satisfied. I always want (Campus Security) to do a better job, but it’s a matter of using limited resources. The only way we’re going to be effective … we’re going to need to partner with students and staff to make this campus more secure,” said Ogino.