By Diana XinThe Daily Northwestern
Although police say students are safer now than in previous years, on-campus burglaries rose more than 21 percent, according to this year’s University Police crime statistics report.
Released this fall, the report showed that the number of burglaries on campus increased from 28 to 34. Burglaries from vehicles were cut in half, and burglaries through forced entry went up to 11 from three.
Students like Weinberg junior Gabriel Notarangelo said they remember the intrusions last year in dormitories like Allison Hall, but many students said they feel the incidents are over.
“When situations happen, they seem to clump together,” Weinberg senior Sarah Pazar said. “Northwestern is a safe place, and when that happens, it’s very unsettling.”
Overall, the report from University Police showed safer conditions for students on the Evanston campus. The number of crimes against persons went down from 29 to 21 and robberies to one from six.
Duke University, in Durham, N.C., mirrored NU’s statistics with increased burglaries but robberies decreased by 64 percent.
At Brown University, in Providence, R.I., burglaries on campus fell from 40 to 16.
Increased patrolling from University Police may have helped lower the number of robberies, Assistant Chief Daniel McAleer said.
“University Police added three more officers to the streets, and I think that made a difference,” McAleer said.
Pazar said she has seen a significant change in campus security during her three years at NU.
“Northwestern listens,” Pazar said. “We have better lighting now than before. We have more police presence. That’s an actual visual change I’ve seen since I was a freshman.”
But Pazar said she also sees areas for improvement, such as better lighting for sorority and fraternity quads and for areas off-campus.
Notarangelo, who lives off campus on Clark Street, often walks his female friends home after dark.
“They don’t feel as safe as they should,” Notarangelo said. “Come 10 p.m., downtown Evanston turns into a whole different world. It’s very empty and desolate.”
For off-campus students, the report showed an increase in crimes against persons in the areas near campus, McAleer said. Simple battery went up to 63 from 42 and aggravated battery doubled, at eight from four previously.
Theft, however, has been low for off-campus areas, falling from 390 to 278.
Community awareness makes a big difference for thefts and robberies, McAleer said.
“We need the community to help us protect them by taking care of their valuables and reporting suspicious activities,” McAleer said.
Reach Diana Xin at [email protected].
Campus Crime StatisticsFindings from the University Police’s annual report on campus crime. Increases:-Burglaries through forced entry, on campus: from three to 11-Simple battery, near campus: from 42 to 63-Burglaries from vehicles, near campus: from 12 to 31Decreases:-On-campus robberies: from six to one-Theft, near campus: from 390 to 278Source: UP Web site
