Crime statistics for 2003 recently released by the Ohio University Police Department indicate that crime generally declined from 2002 to 2003 but stayed close to the five-year average.
The statistics are released annually by OUPD to comply with the Jeanne Clery Act of 1990, which requires universities nationwide to release information about crime on campus. OUPD includes crime reports from the city of Athens in its numbers.
Burglary and sex offense reports both decreased from 2002 to 2003. However, the city of Athens, including OU's campus, still recorded reports of 113 burglaries and 39 sex offenses.
I think Athens is a relatively safe community
but it's not always that way and people need to be reminded that it's not always that way OUPD Assistant Chief Mark Mathews said.
Athens Police Chief Rick Mayer said that although his office was not involved in releasing the report, 39 sex offenses in Athens was an unsatisfactory number.
The liquor law violations referred to OU judiciaries decreased by 210 from 2002, and the drug law violations decreased by five. The overwhelming majority of these violations were reported by non-police sources, such as resident assistants and health officials.
What I'd like to say is I think we've had some impact over the years
Mathews said, referring specifically to the decrease in liquor law violations. Now (students are) leaving the residence halls and going to off-campus parties. I think that's the kind of dynamic in the city that's changed.
Miami University, which reports statistics for the entire city of Oxford, reported slightly higher numbers in burglary and liquor-law arrests. However, Miami had fewer liquor and drug law violations referred for disciplinary action through the university. OU has 19,962 students, and Miami has 16,700 students.
We have increased educational programs about alcohol. That having been said
I don't know how that influences habits
said Claire Wagner, Miami's Associate Director of News and Public Information.
Unlike OU, Miami has seen a general increase in both liquor and drug law violations from 2001-2003. But OU still has a higher total number of liquor and drug law violations, counting both arrests and judiciary referrals.
You can make that statistic do what you want it to
Mathews said. It can go up and down depending on your enforcement.
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Matt Zapotosky
