Ohio University crime rates were down in 2006 compared to 2005, but they weren't all lower than crime rates at other colleges in the state.
The annual Clery Act Compliance Report details national crime statistics reported on campuses or areas adjacent to them, said Lt. Rich Russell of the Ohio University Police Department.
I'd like to think that people are being a little safer in their actions
Russell said about why the numbers have dropped.
Another reason that crime rates appear to have dropped is that crime is rather transient said Capt. Tom Pyle, of the Athens Police Department.
Forcible sexual assault offense reports on the Athens campus are down by about 75 percent. Miami University and Bowling Green State University ' colleges with a similar size and environment to OU ' each had 10 reports of sexual assault compared to OU's four reports. Ohio State University, a larger, urban campus, had 54 reports of sexual assault.
The reason for the decrease in the number of sexual assault reports at OU is unknown.
That number will always fluctuate Russell said.
One reason might be that not all sexual assault crimes are reported to the authorities, he said.
Reported liquor-related offenses at OU are also down from last year, having dropped from 1,438 reports to 1,223 in 2006. Miami trailed close behind with 991 reported liquor offenses. Ohio State had 1,377 reported liquor offenses, and Bowling Green had 555 reported liquor-related offenses.
Burglary reports are also down on OU's Athens campus by about 12 percent, according to the report. BGSU had 38 reports of burglary, seven less than OU. MU had 51 and OSU had 348 reports of burglary on campus.
Fewer burglaries in nonresidential academic buildings are the main reason for this decrease, said Russell. When people have items stolen from them while on the job in these buildings, they tell their friends and inform them to be more cautious, he said.
The only crime committed at an OU regional campus was a case of attempted burglary at the Lancaster campus.
The lack of residence halls and night classes as well as the smaller campus size account for the lack of crime at the regional campuses, Russell said.
The Clery Report does not indicate whether crime is down in the city because only campus property and adjacent streets are included, Pyle said.
They (the Clery Reports) only paint a picture of the area surrounding campus property
he said.
Campus crime seems to be down, but city crime rates are unknown. Statistics for crime in the city will be released in January, Pyle said.
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