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

Campus Crime Up in 2012

IAN TICE/THE HOYA While reported thefts increased from 170 to 235 from 2010 to 2012, alcohol violations decreased from 483 to 238 incidents.
IAN TICE/THE HOYA
While reported thefts increased from 170 to 235 from 2010 to 2012, alcohol violations decreased from 483 to 238 incidents.

Overall reported crime increased at Georgetown’s main campus but decreased at the Georgetown University Law Center in downtown D.C. this year, according to the Department of Public Safety’s 2013 Annual Crime Report.

The report highlights reported crime trends at the two D.C. campuses and the McGhee Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies in Alanya, Turkey; Villa Le Balze in Florence, Italy; and the School of Foreign Service in Qatar between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2012, compared to similar data from the previous two years.

Overall reported crime, which does not include theft or citations for possession of alcohol, drugs or weapons, increased nearly twofold from 2011 to 2012 on main campus. In 2011, there were 43 reported crimes, compared to 72 in 2012.

Of this increase, the largest rise was seen in reported burglaries in main campus buildings and residence halls, which rose from 35 in 2011 to 55 in 2012. Main campus buildings, including office buildings, suffered the largest increase in reported burglaries, rising from seven incidents in 2011 to 38 in 2012.

DPS Deputy Chief and Associate Director Joseph Smith attributed the increase in office burglaries to an increase in reported cases, not an increase in incidents.

“We have been really proactive in increasing reporting,” DPS Sergeant Talib Abdur-Rahim said. “Before, things would happen, but people didn’t always really report it every single time.”

Reported burglaries in residence halls decreased from 28 to 17.

“We really have pushed hard to educate the students on residential security,” Smith said.

Thefts, which do not involve unlawful entry and are not included in overall crime statistics, rose from 219 to 235 this year.

Reported aggravated assault, which does not include forcible sexual offenses, increased from two incidents in 2011 to eight incidents in 2012, with seven of those occurring in main campus buildings.

Non-arrests for drugs, alcohol and possession of weapons, which are referred to the Office of Student Conduct, peaked at 483 in 2010 and have fallen in the last two years to 238 cases in 2012, representing a nearly 51 percent drop. Cases in which students were arrested for drugs, alcohol and possession of weapons similarly decreased from six to zero between 2011 and 2012.

Total reported crimes at the law center dropped from 11 to seven in 2012, although 2012 represented an increase from 2011’s three reported crimes.

The report cites no reported crimes in the last three years at the university’s McGhee Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies, at Villa Le Balze or at the Doha, Qatar campus of the School of Foreign Service.

According to Smith, there have been reports of one office burglary and eight bicycle thefts so far this semester, in addition to a noticeable decrease in laptop thefts.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Hoya

Your donation will support the student journalists of Georgetown University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Hoya

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *