Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

CRIME REPORT Stats Indicate GU Among Nation’s Safest Urban Campuses

Georgetown is among the safest urban campuses in the U.S., according to Director of Public Safety William Tucker. The newly released 2001 crime awareness and campus security report affirms this and gives information and advice on a range of campus safety issues.

“The stats can speak for themselves,” Tucker said. “You don’t see any serious assaults, robberies or things of that nature, and that would tell me that this is a very safe campus.”

The statistics list a few cases of violent crime on the Hilltop. In 2000 there was one case of negligent manslaughter on the main campus and one report of arson in the residence halls. There was also one report of aggravated assault on the main campus in each year 1998, 1999 and 2000.

In 1999, there were three robberies at the hospital and in 2000 there were two on the main campus. The number of forcible sexual offenses has dropped from 10 in 1997 to four in 2000.

New this year are statistics supplied by the Metropolitan Police Department. The statistics are for all crimes reported in the area directly bordering one of the university’s campuses. “Some of it may involve Georgetown students,” Tucker said, “but most of it is from people in the area.”

The most prevalent crimes in the immediate area are robbery and auto theft. In 2000 there were eight robberies and nine stolen cars.

In response to concerns about safety in the neighborhood, DPS added a second car to its SafeRides escort program for off-campus locations. “Instead of 65 escorts a night, we’re doing 100-plus.” Tucker said. He added that DPS also maintains a close working relationship with Metro. “We work with them very closely in terms of anything that can be investigated,” he said.

On-campus arrests for alcohol and drug violations have remained low. There were three arrests on the main campus in 1998, one in 1999 and none last year. There was arrest for alcohol violations in 1999.

In the area around the school, there was one arrest for drug violations in 1998 and two in 1999. But there was a dramatic jump in arrests for alcohol violations, increasing from one in 1999 to 23 in 2000.

Last March, several Georgetown were arrested for underage drinking as part of the program SUDs, or Stopping Underage Drinking. In a Hoya article (“MPD Targeting Local Bars” ), Lieutenant Patrick Burke said the SUDs program would feature four initiatives to enforce underage drinking laws.

The program places undercover officers as bouncers at local area bars where they will check identification. They use “Intellicheck” ID-checking technology, which identifies false forms of identification, Burke said.

Under the SUDs program officers would also perform spot-checks at bars with 18-and-over specials aimed at attracting students.

The officers will not be positioned at the entrance but instead they will be inside the establishment in these cases.

The two most common crimes on campus are burglary and theft. Burglary involves the perpetrator entering, sometimes forcibly, a place they are not allowed to be with intent to commit the crime.

In theft, the perpetrator already has access to the place the theft occurred. From 1999 to 2000, both thefts and burglaries fell.

Thefts dropped from 384 to 338 cases, and burglaries dropped from 102 to 78.

As a measure to combat crime, DPS has recently installed security cameras around campus. “We love ’em,” Tucker said. “We’ve made some arrests from them, but the biggest thing is the tremendous preventive effect, and also the follow-up investigation.”

According to Tucker the current number of cameras is “around 12 or 13.”

They are located in high traffic areas such as on the corner of Reiss overlooking the entrance to the Leavey Center and the Village C Patio.

DPS has also taken steps to prevent bike theft.

Tucker is currently lobbying to have bicycle racks with cages around them.

Access to the racks will only be possible by using a card reader like the ones outside dorm buildings.

The report also contains advice on reporting crimes and a description of sexual assault services.

There is also a list of tips on dealing with different forms of harassment by telephone and other means.

“We hope that access to this information about crime statistics and the timely notification of threats to community safety will aid in the prevention of crime within our university community,” said Tucker in the preface to the report.

An online version of the report and statistics is available at https://www.georgetown.edu/student-affairs/dps/Security_Report.htm.

– Hoya Staff Writer Tim Sullivan contributed to this report.

More to Discover