Public Safety News

BEACON

Vol. 112, Issue 05

Thursday September 30, 2012

THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

www.upbeacon.net

Your Safety: On and off campus An in-depth look into Public Safety’s annual report

Statistics affirm students are generally safe on campus Rosemary Peters Editor-in-Chief peters12@up.edu After a late night of studying in the Library or Shiley Hall, many students can’t help but wonder if they are safe as they walk alone, in the dark, back to their home or residence hall.

The truth is, although it is natural to worry, UP students are actually quite safe on campus.

Shortly before the semester started, the Department of Public Safety released its Crime and Fire Report for the 2009 calendar year. The report, which gives a statistical breakdown for crimes in 14 categories, is published annually in order for the school to stay compliant with the StudentRight-to-Know and Campus Security Act of 1990, also known as the Clery Act. The federal law requires all colleges and universities that receive federal funds to compile an annual report that includes crime and fire safety information for specifically defined areas.

ON-CAMPUS & RESIDENCE HALLS In the on-campus section of the report, five categories showed

reported incidents of crime in the 2009 calendar year: residential burglary, non-residential burglary, theft from motor vehicle, liquor law violations and drug abuse violations.

The largest crime statistic for the on-campus section was liquor law violations with disciplinary referrals. Coming in at 89 referrals, the number of alcohol-related referrals has stayed fairly consistent over the last few years, and it is the most common crime reported to Public Safety, according to Harold Burke-Sivers, director of Public Safety.

One statistic that surprised Burke-Sivers was the apparent decrease in sexual offenses.

The forcible sexual offenses category dropped from four reported sex offenses on campus in 2008 to zero in 2009.

“The numbers depend on how many people report the crime.

My guess is that the actual offenses are higher,” BurkeSivers said.

In fact, Burke-Sivers’ view is substantiated by various studies, including a 2005 U.S. Department of Justice report on sexual assault on the nation’s college campuses.

According to that report, “sexual assault is widely considered to be the most underreported violent crime in America.”

See Report, page 3

Bryan Brenize | THE BEACON

THE Report

Photo courtesy of maps.google.com

What is the Crime and Fire Report? A federally-mandated annual report that discloses crime and fire statistics reported on campus and the adjacent area over a three-year period.

Where do the statistics come from? The Clery Act requires colleges to disclose their crime statistics and make a “reasonable good-faith effort” to obtain statistics from local police. At UP, Public Safety officials also gather statistics from on-campus employees such as Natalie Shank, the assistant director of Residence Life and student conduct coordinator, according to Burke-Sivers.

What areas does the report cover? The report includes statistics for reported crimes that occurred on campus, in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by the University of Portland, and on public property adjacent to the campus.

-Rosemary Peters

Alissa White | THE BEACON

Alissa White | THE BEACON

NEWS

Bicyclist

The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net

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case REPORT: Public Safety Have YOU still unsolved releases crime stats seen them?

Portland Police continue to seek leads in the homicide of a bicyclist who died near campus last fall.

“There is nothing new on the case,” Portland Police Bureau detective Bryan Steed told The Beacon.

According to police, on Nov. 4, 2009, Portland musician Kipp Crawford was cycling eastbound on North Willamette Boulevard near Hodge Avenue at 2:30 a.m. Somehow, he was thrown into the westbound lane and hit by two drunk drivers.

Steed calls the Crawford case an “unusual one.”

Initially, investigators considered the case a DUII traffic incident.

But a few months later, the police changed their assessment and ruled it a homicide.

They now believe that prior to being hit by the cars, Crawford was the victim of a robbery or assault.

“It is an unusual case because of the fact there was an initial altercation that left him in the road, and it was drunk drivers that caused the fatality,” Steed said.

Because Portland Police did not rule the case a homicide until Feb. 2010, the crime did not appear in the current Crime and Fire Report.

“It was first reported as a hit and run — not a homicide until 2010,” BurkeSivers said. “In order to change a crime category, the police have to rule it. We will add that in this year’s (2010) statistics.”

-Rosemary Peters

Continued from page 1

Bryan Brenize | THE BEACON

White bicycles can be found around the city of Portland memoralizing the death of cyclists. This particular bike, located on the corner of Haven and Willamete is in memory of the death of Kipp Crawford.

Bryan Brenize | THE BEACON

are also required to report crimes that occur in the area Some UP students are also “adjacent to campus,” defined surprised by a few other on- as accessible public property campus statistics in the 2009 that is within, next to or bordering the campus. report.

At UP, this includes the “The numbers surprised me. I thought there would public streets and sidewalks be more under certain that run through The Village categories,” junior Ryan and Fields and Schoenfeldt McLaughlin said. “There Halls, as well as the stretch were 89 liquor referrals, but of Willamette Boulevard that there was only one drug abuse borders the campus.

The key word is public. referral.”

For example, if there were A second category that a burglary saw a that decrease in occurred in crime was a privatelyresidential owned burglary. home In 2008, 20 across from residential the main burglaries entrance to were the school, reported the crime on campus. wouldn’t According fall under to Burkethe category Sivers, 16 of “adjacent of them to campus” occurred because it during a happened summer on private Harold Burke-Sivers, director of Public Safety camp and Courtesy of LinkedIn property. did not In 2008, there were four involve UP students. “Theftsensitive items” such as crimes “adjacent to campus” iPods were the target of the reported to Public Safety: one burglaries, which occurred in motor vehicle theft and three residence halls. This number thefts from motor vehicles.

In 2009, there was a 75 dropped to six residential percent decrease in “adjacent burglaries in 2009.

According to Burke- to campus” crime, with one Sivers, the 70 percent decrease liquor law violation reported. in residential burglary in UNIVERSITY PARK 2009 was due to the fact that there were fewer thefts While the Clery Act does during summer camps in 2009. However, Burke-Sivers not require Public Safety to revealed that the number will report all crimes that occur jump again in the 2010 Crime in the entire University Park and Fire Report due to more Neighborhood (UPN), it summer camp thefts this past does require statistics for University-owned houses, summer.

“We think it might be some even if they are off campus. “(We) only report crimes of the same people within the that involve our students groups,” Burke-Sivers said.

“We believe the same that live in University Park group may be involved since Neighborhood,” Burke-Sivers the thefts occurred during said, “ones reported to us by the same time period in both students or that we go out and years,” he added in an e-mail. investigate.”

According to Burke-Sivers, One crime category that saw a significant drop on the reason the Universitycampus was theft from motor owned houses fall under their vehicles, with a nearly 91 own subsection (“Univ. Park”) percent decrease from 2008 to in the annual report is due to the fact that they don’t fit under 2009.

In 2008, 11 such crimes any of the other categories were reported, while in 2009, defined by the Clery Act. The crimes in that category there was only one.

Burke-Sivers suggested that affected UP students, several things to deter theft according to Public Safety’s 2009 Crime and Fire Report, from motor vehicles.

“Don’t leave bags in the total three: two thefts from front seat of your car,” Burke- motor vehicles and one liquor Sivers said. “Keep your law violation.

In contrast to the Crime windows rolled up and your and Fire Report, Portland doors locked.”

Police statistics cover the entire UPN and suggest that ADJACENT TO students should exercise extra CAMPUS caution with themselves and According to the Campus their belongings the farther Security Act of 1990, also they get from campus. known as the Clery Act, See Report, page 4 campus safety officials

Included on the Public Safety pages on UP’s website are photographs of people Public Safety ha banned from campus over the past few years due to safety concerns.

Sherwin Shayegan

Last seen: Oct. 8, 2009 Age: 26 Weight: 240 lbs Height: 5’8”

Bruce Smith

Last seen: March 31, 2009 Age: 57 Height: 5’8” Drives a Silver Ford Explorer

Matthew Savage

Last seen: Dec. 8, 2008 Age: 22 Weight: 190 lbs Height: 5’11”

Cameron Seiler

Last seen: Dec. 6, 2008 Age: 19 Weight: 190 lbs Height: 6”

If someone suspicious is seen on campus, students should call Public Safety immediately: 503-943-4444.

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February 30, 2012

REPORT: neighborhood experiences crime Continued from page 3 Based on the City of Portland’s official neighborhood boundaries, UPN covers the area bordered

by Chautauqua Boulevard, Willamette Boulevard, Ida Avenue and Lombard Street.

According to Portland Police, 353 crimes occurred in 2009 in the whole of UPN. Seventy percent were “Part 1” crimes.

“Part 1-index crimes include the most serious crimes lumped together,” said Bryan Rookey, an assistant professor of social and behavior sciences who studies crime statistics and mapping.

Portland Police Bureau statistics for 2009 indicate “theft from a vehicle” was the most common crime in University Park, with 87 reported incidents. Larceny was the second most prevalent crime, followed by vehicle theft.

Burke-Sivers blames the slowdown in the economy.

“As the economy goes down, it doesn’t surprise me to see these numbers go up,” he said.

Who is Clery?

NEWS

The “Clery Act” is named in memory of 19-year-old Lehigh University freshman, Jeanne Ann Clery, who was raped and murdered while asleep in her residence hall room on April 5, 1986.

How was it enacted? Clery’s parents discovered students hadn’t been told about 38 violent crimes on their daughter’s campus in the three years before her murder. They persuaded Congress to enact the “Clery Act.” What is its purpose? The Clery Act requires all colleges and universities that receive federal aid to keep and disclose information about crime on and near campus.

Who keeps track of the reported crimes?

Compliance is monitored by the United States Department of Education, which can charge up to $27,500 per violation against institutions for each infraction.

What do the experts say? “The point of the Clery Act is to provide information about crime statistics to students and the family members of students,” Steve Beedle, supervisor of the Portland Police Bureau’s Statistical Analysis Unit, said.

“The school has to keep the records themselves or get them through some other source.”

-Rosemary Peters

Tragedy rocks UT campus as system warns of danger

Learning to pack a punch UP hosts self-defense classes taught by Portland Jujitsu. This program consists of five weekly lessons in basic defensive skills.

Below, Beacon reporter Enid Spitz shares what she learned in the Sept. 23 session.

The first step is the defensive position: wide stance, dominant foot forward, knees bent, hands out in front of you.

“Of course, we’re not advocating violence,” sensei Steve Miller, from Portland Jujitsu, said, “but students need to know how to protect themselves because there are those type of people out there.”

Miller recommends using the heel of your hand to hit an attacker’s chin. This will cause the attacker’s head to fly back, giving you a chance to escape. Any random object can become a tool for self-defense as well. Using your phone or a pen as a weapon could help deter any attacker.

What Miller stressed most adamantly is the importance of your life above all else.

Any left behind item can be replaced — you should focus on protecting yourself and then get out of the threatening situation as quickly as possible.

Even with just a few tips like these, I can now feel more confident in my ability to protect myself should the need ever arise.

Sensei Miller’s tips: • Don’t keep your back to a potential attacker.

• If you feel threatened, call someone on your phone (don’t text!)

• Hit with the heel of your hand, it’s the strongest part and you won’t risk snapping your wrist.

• Yell “Back off” rather than “Stay away.” You don’t want the first word out of your mouth to be “stay.”

• Use the element of surprise.

• Main points of weakness: chin, nose, throat.

The final session is next Tues. in the Mehling Ballroom at 8:30 p.m.

Last Tuesday, a gunman turned the University of Texas Austin campus into a violent crime scene.

The gunman was 19 year-old Colton Tooley, a sophomore math major. According to UT’s website, Tooley fired shots from an AK-47 in front of the Littlefield fountain and then ran to the library, where he took his own life.

Except for the gunman, there were no casualties in the UT shooting. According to UT’s president, this was, in part, due to the UT safety alert system. UT students and faculty were informed about the danger on campus and urged to stay away from the school via e-mails and text messages.

In the event of a dangerous situation on the UP campus, the University of Portland has a similar alert system in place.

Students and staff would receive alerts via landlines, cell phones, emails and text messages from Public Safety, the Core Emergency Response Team (C.O.R.E) and University of Portland officers.

To receive alerts, students and staff must “opt in” by logging on to their PilotsUP and register for the service by entering their information into the UP Alert Info portal located on the main University community page.

-Rosemary Peters & Bruce Garlinghouse

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Enid Spitz | THE BEACON

The UP Public Safety Report 1 4

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1. Sep. 25, 11:40 p.m. - Public Safety received a complaint of a large party in the area of the 5400 block of N. Yale. Persons were not UP students. The complainant was referred to Portland Police.

2. Sep. 24, 11:57 p.m. - Public Safety received a complaint of a party at a house in the 7300 block of N. Jordan St. A neighbor complained of a loud party. Public Safety Officers responded and renters requested assistance in shutting down the party.

3. Sep. 24, 11:32 p.m. - Public Safety received a complaint of a loud party at a house in the 7300 block of N. Jordan St. Public Safety Officers responded and renters requested assistance in shutting down the party.

4. Sep. 24, 10:59 p.m. - Public Safety received a noise complaint from a neighbor about a house in the 5100 block of N. Yale. The complainant reported students yelling and screaming in the street, and that the house is a problem every week. Officers checked the area and found only noise from persons walking down the street who did not appear to be students. No action was taken, but the address was noted.

5. Sep. 23, 5:30 p.m. - Public Safety contacted two students smoking outside the Pilot House and advised them of the campus smoking policy. The students were compliant.