On-Campus Burglaries Up 47 Percent
Department of Public Safetey released its Annual Security Report on Friday showing a signifiant increase in on-campus burglaries.
On-campus burglaries increased from 22 in 2009 to 34 in 2010 and 50 in 2011. Specifially in on-campus residential facilities, the number of burglaries have tripled from nine in 2010 to 27 in 2011. "After 4 years of decreasing crime, crime rates experienced a slight increase in 2011," said DPS Captain David Carlisle.
"The number one crime on USC campus is property crime of easily portable electronic devices such as iPad's, iPod's, smartphones, and laptops," explained Carlisle.
He said there are ways to prevent these crimes and recommended students to install DPS tracking software on their laptops. The software is free after filling out proper applications.
Carlisle also reminded students to "lock their doors whenever they are leaving their rooms unattended, even if only for a minute."
The Department of Public Safety encourages students to remember the slogan: "Lock it, Hide it, Keep it!" The phrase also applies to bikes, another item often stolen on and off campus.
Captain Carlisle said the way to avoid bike theft is to properly secure bikes to bike racks with durable locks. He mentioned that they often find wheels attached to the bike locks.
There had been no murders, negligent manslaughter, hate crimes or non-forcible sex offenses reported in 2011. But there had been a slight increase in forcible sex offenses and robberies with the former increasing from five in 2010 to seven in 2011 and the latter increasing from three in 2010 to five in 2011.
When it comes to preventing crimes against people, DPS recommends walking in groups. "Dont walk alone at night, walk with a group of friends and take advantage of all the transportation services offered by the school," urged Carlisle. "Walk with confidence, and know your destination beforehand. And most importantly, dont flaunt your valuables."
