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Serious campus crime drops to new low
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BY CYNTHIA LEE
UCLA Today Staff
Violent crime on campus dipped to its lowest level in three years, dropping from 42 incidents in 1998 to 29 in 2000, according to the latest report by the UCLA Police Department. The report listed 1,458 violent and property crimes that occurred last year.
The drop in serious crime was especially marked in the categories of aggravated assaults and robberies on campus, although "the numbers for violent crime overall are low to begin with," explained Nancy Greenstein, director of community service for the UCLA police.
But in some crime categories, an opposite trend surfaced. Simple assaults, for example, rose 185%, from 26 in 1999 to 74 in 2000.
"In most of these cases of violent crime, including assaults and rapes, these incidents involved people who knew each other - roommates, co-workers, people who are dating each other," she warned. Workplace violence is reflected in the number of assaults, both simple and aggravated.
Property crime rose 10%, from 1,300 incidents in 1999 to 1,429 in 2000.
"These are basically crimes of opportunity - backpacks, computers, parking passes, items left unattended," Greenstein said. "A lot of it is occurring because people are not locking their offices or car doors, or are not putting their valuables away. We advise people to always be aware of who's around and report anyone or any circumstances that are suspicious."
While bike thefts rose 70%, from 40 in 1999 to 68 in 2000, car thefts fell slightly, 7%, from 58 to 54.
Another highlight in the report shows that narcotics misdemeanors rose 115%, from 26 in 1999 to 56 in 2000. The increase reflects a national trend on campuses where marijuana use is going up. "Comparison-wise, we don't have as big a problem in that area as other campuses," Greenstein said. But unfortunately, what many students fail to realize is they can lose federal financial aid because of a drug conviction since a new legal provision took effect last year, she pointed out. |
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Copyright 2001 UC Regents
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