An uptick in reported rapes, a progressive downfall in noise and party complaints and a whole lot of thefts from Wal-Mart highlighted the crimes called in to Athens Police during Ohio University’s 2013 Fall Semester, according to police reports obtained by The Post.
“Athens is not a dangerous place to live,” Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said. “We have crime just like every other community.”
Rape
With the public sex act from Homecoming Weekend reported by the female OU student involved as a rape being the lead Athens crime story of the semester, there was “a slight increase” in reported rapes compared to an ordinary semester, Pyle said.
“It is a rise, a spike, no doubt about that, but we’ve gone through periods of within a few numbers of that number of reports,” he said. “To try and put a finger on what’s causing that is very difficult. It could be a better awareness.”
Two were reported the day after police were made aware of the public sex act, and six of the 10 total rapes this semester were from October.
However, Pyle said he doesn’t believe there is a direct connection between the public sex act and the increase in reported rapes.
“Does it mean we’re having more rapes? No,” he said. “My gut feeling is that we have more people reporting them now than before.”
Noise and party complaints
Athens saw an average of four noise complaints per day between Aug. 22 and Sept. 22.
That number then began to tail off, the reports show.
About 62 percent of the party complaints were reported during the opening two weekends, and only four were reported after Oct. 5. Fifteen occurred on Mill Street.
Pyle said he didn’t know why complaints tapered off so dramatically.
Underage drinking and assault
APD handed out about 150 underage drinking citations this semester — 56 of which were given on Court Street and 31 on College Street, according to the reports.
The reports also showed that 47 reported assaults — 12 on Court Street — were called into the department.
Eight were reported on Halloween Weekend, and five fell on OU’s Dad’s Weekend.
“The concentration of population coupled with the alcohol consumption is the reason for (why most occur on Court Street),” Pyle said.
Mayor Paul Wiehl said he doesn’t know what could be done to lower the amount of crime that occurs Uptown.
"You’re always going to have complications, especially when alcohol is involved,” Wiehl said. “More lighting is always one of the dialogues you hear, but that doesn’t fix everything.”
Thefts and burglaries
Thefts and burglaries were also entrenched in the semester’s rap sheet. Forty-five burglaries were called in after the fact and an additional nine were reported as “in progress.” Athens also saw 199 thefts, with 55, or roughly 28 percent, occurring at Wal-Mart, 929 E. State St.
Looking to the future
OU Police Chief Andrew Powers didn’t see any significant trends in crime for his department this semester.
“I couldn't speculate about next semester, but typically, warmer weather brings more activity and, at the very least, more alcohol violations,” Powers said.
Powers was unable to provide similar reports from OUPD by press time.
Pyle added that staying alert and steering clear of distractions such as cell phone use can be enough to avoid being the victim of a violent or property-related crime.
“The two things you need to commit a crime are motive and opportunity,” Pyle said. “You can’t control the motives of others … but what we can take away is their opportunity by taking decreasing our vulnerability.”
as299810@ohiou.edu
@akarl_smith
