Ohio University’s crime has decreased to an extent that it is lower than other universities in Ohio.
Ohio University saw a decrease in crimes almost across the board during 2013 in comparison to previous years.
The Ohio University Police Department released its 2014 Clery Act report, which details crime statistics at OU and its regional campuses for the past three years, late Friday. Figures in the report show liquor and drug violations, and reports of sexual assault, were down, along with other crimes.
According to the report, OU saw 221 liquor law violation arrests in 2013, compared to Kent State’s 229 and Bowling Green’s 116.
Disciplinary referrals were down as well this past year. The number of disciplinary referrals for drug violations were down at OU from 164 in 2012 to 78 in 2013. Meanwhile, disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations saw a roughly 28 percent decrease in the past year.
The report also showed nine forcible sex offenses were reported in 2013. In 2012, OUPD saw 14 forcible sex offenses while Kent State police saw 10 and BGSU police saw 15.
OU Police Chief Andrew Powers said the decline in crime is positive but shouldn’t be seen as an indication for officers to relax.
“Everything seems to go in cycles … We need to continue working on crime prevention and awareness, but it is certainly encouraging to see those numbers drop,” Powers said.
Powers also said it was difficult to say what may have contributed to the reduction in numbers, but he noted that the parallel drop in arrests and referrals may suggest “some sort of change in behavior.”
Burglaries trickled down by approximately 40 percent from 42 in 2012 to 25 last year. BGSU had 26 burglary reports while Kent State had nine reports in 2013.
Also included in the Clery Act were three “newly-required, non-hierarchical offenses” brought about by the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. Those offenses were domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
OUPD received two reports of dating violence and six reports of stalking in 2013 while Kent State received eight reports of dating violence and three on stalking.
BGSU police saw four dating violence crimes and two stalking crimes.
Other statistics such as motor vehicle theft and arson saw little change and the Athens campus and regional campuses had no hate crimes reported in 2013.
@joshualim93
jl951613@ohio.edu
