By David Harris
Staff Writer
A crime and fire report released by the APSU campus police on Friday, Sept. 27, reported 18 burglaries on campus in 2012, up from 9 in 2011 and down from 54 in 2010.
Chief of Police Michael Kasitz sent an email to all the faculty, staff and students with a link to the report, officially called the Clery Act Annual Security and Fire Safety Report of 2013.
“Unattended theft is a common problem at most universities across the country, and we are no different,” said Bill Persinger, executive director for Public Relations and Marketing. “These are prominently crimes of opportunity. Students all too often leave things like cell phones, laptops, books, etc., unattended in public spaces.”
In 2010, there were 55 referrals for liquor law violations on campus. Referrals went down to 26 in 2011, then up to 65 in 2012.
There were 23 on campus referrals for drug violations in 2012. The year before there were 20, and in 2010 there were 55.
In the last three years there had been no reports of murder, aggravated assault, manslaughter, hate crimes, dating violence, arson, non-forcible sex offenses, weapons law violations or stalking.
“It makes me a little scared because of the number of referrals,” said Terri Harding, a junior communications major. “Just the fact that they’re on campus. I’m eager to see what [Kasitz] is going to do and what the numbers will look like under his supervision.”
The report also contains emergency numbers, crime reporting policies, emergency procedures, security awareness, crime prevention programs and disciplinary procedures. The report includes statistics for the previous three years about crimes that took place on campus, as well as residential facilities, non-campus property and public property.
“We’re fully accredited and commissioned with full police powers in the state of Tennessee,” said campus police officer Robert Blain. “Despite what people see in movies like ‘Van Wilder’ and ‘College House,’ it’s a real police department.”
The report can be viewed online on the APSU website. Paper copies can also be requested at the APSU Police Department in the Shasteen Building.
“The report is compiled from a year’s worth of data that is collected on a daily basis by the APSU Office of Public Safety and Campus Police,” Persinger said.
