Crime in New Brunswick dropping, report says
Archived article from Nov 1, 2004
By Ashanti M. Alvarez
An annual report documenting crime statistics from 2001 to 2003 and newer data from 2004 show that two of the most common campus crimes – burglaries and thefts – have decreased.
The Safety Matters report, released in September and required by the federal government, shows marked decreases in alcohol and drug violations and burglary on the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus. And more recent statistics comparing the first nine months of 2003 to the same period this year show marked declines in burglaries, thefts, and stolen motor vehicles.
“We have more police officers and community service officers patrolling the lots to reduce larcenies and motor vehicle thefts,” said RUPD police chief Barry W. Roberson. “We have installed cameras in several of our parking lots and we’re beginning to see a positive effect in our parking lots.”
There were 157 burglaries reported in 2001 on the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus. That number was unusually high because 59 of those came from three cases in which arrests were made, Roberson said. In 2002, burglaries dropped to 76 and rose in 2003 to 83 cases. Most burglaries occur in dormitories or offices when someone enters an unlocked room, Roberson said.
While many of the crimes on campus affect students, Roberson said that faculty and staff members need to take the same precautions. All Rutgers students, faculty and staff should have the RUPD phone number for their campus programmed in their cell phones. People can call that number in case of an emergency or if they require assistance, such as help with a dead car battery, keys locked inside of a car or to request an escort to a parking lot after dusk.
“The hours of darkness bring additional concerns. Very shortly the majority of us will be arriving in darkness and leaving in darkness,” Roberson said. “There are two things that people could do to help themselves and the police department tremendously: Pay attention to their surroundings and report suspicious people and their activities.”
Newer statistics provided by Roberson offer a snapshot of the first nine months of 2003 and 2004. All crimes are down in New Brunswick/Piscataway except robberies (nine to 13), simple assault (43 to 52) and domestic violence (25 to 35). Rape, aggravated assault, bias crimes, burglary and theft all saw decreases. New Brunswick campus police have also made more arrests this year (441) compared with the same period in 2003 (422).
In Camden, most crimes have remained relatively low and stable with the exception of burglaries, which rose from 13 in 2001 to 40 in 2003. Newark’s crime statistics reflect increases in drug violations (15 in 2001 compared with 82 in 2003), underage alcohol possession (14 in 2001 and 31 in 2001) and motor vehicle theft (27 in 2001 compared to 39 in 2003). Other categories in Newark remained low and stable as well.
Each campus police department has posted the crime statistics on the Web at
publicsafety.rutgers.edu, along with safety,parking and security information.
If you are on campus, it’s quicker to call the campus police directly rather than dialing 911. That method will forward you to the state police who will direct your call to either campus police or the local municipal force. The process could take several minutes. Contact your local campus police department for assistance or an emergency:
New Brunswick/Piscataway police:
732-932-7211
Newark campus police:
973-353-5581
Camden campus police:
856-225-6009
Return to the Nov 1, 2004 issue
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