Decrease in Crime Rate Evident in Annual Report

The Department of Campus Safety recently released the 2005 Annual Campus Safety Report for Trinity College. The report contains crime statistics covering Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2005, and for the two previous calendar years. It includes institutional policies concerning campus safety, alcohol and drug abuse, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters that members of the Trinity community should be aware of. The report also provides statistics from the Hartford Police Department that disclose crimes on public property that took place near the College over the past three years.The information in the report is provided in accordance with Connecticut General Statues 10a-55a and United States Public Law 101-542, the "Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act of 1990."

The Annual Report is prepared by Director of Campus Safety Charles Morris, Associate Director of Campus Safety Chris Lyons, and Administrative Assistant Jorge Lugo. The report is comprised of information from Campus Safety reports, information from other administrative offices, and the Hartford Police Department. Daily records kept by Lyons result in monthly reports compiled regarding all crimes on campus, fire alarms, sick and cared for reports, alcohol and drug violations, towing, and other information.

"The Campus Safety report is helpful to the members of the Trinity College community because it advises the community of incidents that occur on campus and can advise the community of arrests made on campus with Campus Safety and HPD," explained Lyons. Campus Safety does its own investigations to keep a record of activity reported to the department. Reports are written by the officers and records are kept daily at the Campus Safety office.

The report indicates a decline in the number of alcohol and drug violations that occurred on campus last year. There were 166 alcohol violations in 2005 (compared to 191 in 2004) and 44 drug violations last year (compared to 68 the previous year). The vast majority of those violations took place in residence halls. Most violations did not involve arrest. The report states that: "Trinity strictly enforces federal and state laws governing underage drinking and drug use, and its enforcement efforts have been intensified. We have made it clear that the College will not condone underage drinking, the use of illegal drugs, or the negative environment created by the abusive use of drugs and alcohol. This proactive and aggressive stance is reflected in the substantial number of offenses recorded in this year's statistical summary."

There were 10 reports of burglary on campus in 2005, which is less than the 13 reported incidents in 2004, but more than the nine incidents reported in 2003.

When asked if there were any statistics that jumped out at him, Dean of Students Fred Alford said, "The most troubling crimes are those that involve physical and emotional injury to a person such as assault and sex offenses. When thinking about those, statistics pale because one is too many."

There were six reported incidents of forcible sex offenses, which is any sexual act directed against another person in 2005, forcibly and/or against that person's will, or not forcibly or against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent. As of this past June, there have been six forcible sex offenses on campus reported to Campus Safety.

One area where students are always concerned is motor vehicle theft on campus. Haley Kimmet '08, who has received parking citations from Campus Safety and whose car has been vandalized while parked on Summit Street, was surprised to learn how many cars are stolen each year on campus. "I'm a little irritated to find that while Campus Safety officers always seem to pull through on parking tickets and [towing cars], cars are disappearing under their watch," she said.

Statistics from the Annual Report point to a decrease in the number of cars stolen at Trinity over the past three years: In 2003, there were 21 reported incidents of motor vehicle theft on campus; 17 reported in 2004, and 13 in 2005. However, from January of 2006 to this past June there were 15 incidents of motor vehicle theft reported to Campus Safety. Despite those numbers, there has not been one auto theft reported on campus since the end of August. "I attribute this to high visibility of the Campus Safety staff and HPD," said Lyons. "However, we are always aware that auto theft problems can reappear at any time. Campus Safety is currently working with HPD in an aggressive manner to limit auto theft activity on campus." Lyons also noted that last month HPD reported 67 car thefts in the two neighborhoods in which the college is located, and none of those thefts took place on campus. "We all must realize that this can change at anytime and must take steps to try to prevent this," he said.

Most students the Tripod spoke with said they feel safe on campus and believe Campus Safety is doing a good job. "Being young I naturally believe that I am invincible, although sometimes I've been known to feel a little uneasy walking from the library to my dorm at three in the morning," said Claire Haley '08. "It's good to know, however, that there are almost always at least 14 [call] boxes within a three-foot radius at any given spot on campus."

One student, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, "Campus Safety does the best they can, given their limited manpower. Most safety issues, such as better lighting and a more secure perimeter, are beyond their control and lie with the school to solve."

Kimmet believes there are some areas on campus that are less safe than others. "As a female on Trinity's campus, I do feel pretty safe. However, there are certain locations on campus that I tend to avoid going alone at night," she said. "One prime location is the Lower Long Walk at night. I think it is an area of high vulnerability [because] there is usually no one around and nowhere in particular to go."