The past year for Ohio University has seen higher numbers of sexual assault reports and drug law arrests but fewer reported burglaries.
The Ohio University Police Department released its annual Clery Report Friday, which details crime statistics for the past three years.
According to the report, there were 15 reported forcible sex offenses in 2010, as compared to 9 in 2009.
The reported forcible sex offenses in 2010 included nine reports of forcible rape and six of forcible fondling.
There were 153 drug law arrests in 2010, up from 74 in 2009.
However, the number of burglaries was cut in half; 34 were reported in 2010, down from 68 in 2009.
Other statistics for the past year, including those for aggravated assault and liquor law arrests, saw little change.
OUPD’s website lists seven rapes reported between March 27, 2009 and last Friday. All are still being actively investigated, according to the website.
There were also five reports of sexual imposition between April 6, 2010 and May 20, 2011. All five are still listed as active investigations.
OU has recently increased its efforts regarding sexual assault, said Kent Smith, vice president for Student Affairs.
OU’s Women’s Center received a grant to hire a sexual assault advocate who works with victims on campus. Student organizations are working together through events like this weekend’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes to educate students and spread awareness.
The higher number of reported assaults could be a result of OU’s push to increase services for sexual assault victims, Smith said.
“It could be the fact that we have more victims’ assistance on campus and people are more comfortable reporting sexual assaults,” he said.
He added that OU has new judiciary policies in place for sexual assault offenders as well. Now, students found responsible for any type of sexual assault are suspended from OU, and students responsible for an act of sexual assault involving penetration are expelled, he said.
“We’ve ramped up what we do in regard to judiciaries to show we’re serious about this,” Smith said.
The Clery report details some of OU’s sexual assault education and prevention programs as well.
“Ohio University is committed to creating an environment free from the threat of sexual assault, while actively responding to the needs of those affected by sexual assault,” the report states.
OU also released a fire safety report. In 2010, there were six fires on or near campus, according to the report. They caused a total of $1,205 in damage.
In 2009, there were five reported fires, causing a total in $196 in damage.
The Clery report separately addresses hate crimes, which are the same crimes analyzed in the report but are found to be committed because of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability. No hate crimes were reported on OU’s main campuses or any of its regional campuses for the past three years, according to the report.
The report states OUPD is staffed 24 hours a day, every day a year, by 25 police officers and seven full-time personnel.
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