While some recent headlines about burglaries on or near
campus may give the impression crime is prevalent, the
opposite is true. Crime at Eastern Michigan University
is actually down in six of seven major reporting Clery
Act categories for 2008 compared to 2007.
According to preliminary report numbers shared at a safety
and security forum March 5, burglaries were down 43 percent
(58 in 2007 compared to a preliminary number of 33 for
2008). The period covers Sept. 1 through Jan. 31.
 |
SAFETY FIRST: (above, left) Greg O'Dell,
EMU's
executive director of public safety, makes
a point
about safety to faculty, staff and students
during a
safety and security forum in the Student
Center
March 5. Other speakers (standing) included
Mark
Wesley, EMU's emergency management director;
EMU President Susan Martin and Ypsilanti Police
Chief Matt Harshberger. |
"That's good news," said Greg O'Dell, executive director
of EMU's Department of Public Safety, but cautioned students
that many of those crimes could have been prevented. "Every
single burglary throughout the residence halls was due
to unlocked doors."
As part of that good news, O'Dell reported that two of
the three suspects in the Jan. 23 burglary in Sellers Hall
had been arrested. The first, Michael Allen Johnson, was
arrested March 2 and a second suspect, a 16-year-old from
Detroit, was arrested March 4. The latter was already
wanted by the Detroit Police Department on another armed
robbery charge and is being held at the Wayne County juvenile
detention facility, O'Dell said. Neither suspect was an
EMU student.
Approximately 80 persons, including many EMU
students, attended the forum in room 310 of the Student
Center March 5.
The Clery Act requires all colleges and universities that
participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and
disclose information about crime on or near their respective
campuses. Compliance is monitored by the U.S. Department
of Education. In addition to burglary, crimes tracked include
murder, arson, robbery, criminal sexual misconduct, aggravated
assault and motor vehicle theft, hate crimes, and alcohol
and drugs.
The only Clery category at EMU that has shown an increase
is robbery, according to O'Dell. There was one robbery
on campus in 2007 and preliminary reports show two for
2008 for the September-January reporting period, O'Dell
said.
Matt Harshberger, chief of the Ypsilanti Police Department,
and Mark Wesley, EMU's new director of emergency management,
also made brief presentations.
Even with sizable cuts in the number of city police officers
due to budget cuts this past year, Harshberger said city
law enforcement held its own, with crime numbers in 2008
comparable to 2007.
Still, Harshberger was blunt in telling students that
Ypsilanti is an "urban environment" that includes a homeless
population that "does what they have to do to
get funds for food, drugs and alcohol."
"If you walk alone to class, your car or to a bar (at
night), I guarantee you will be a victim," he told students
at the forum. "I
don't mean to be all gloom and doom. I'm just trying to
help you be smart."
Although robberies overall numbered less last year in
Ypsilanti compared to 2007, Harshberger said the city "got
hammered" once students returned to EMU and the fall semester
started, mentioning the city had 26-28 robberies within
city limits since fall 2008. Harshberger referenced that
new students coming to campus in the fall are not as savvy
about safety and security, and it requires re-education
on the subject.
Crime Stats
Crime in six of seven major Clery Act categories
are down on campus for 2008 (preliminary numbers)
compared to 2007 for the period of Sept. 1 through
Jan. 31. Statistics are as follows:
| Crime |
2007 |
2008 |
| Burglary |
58 |
43 |
| Arson |
0 |
0 |
| Murder/manslaughter |
0 |
0 |
| Robbery |
1 |
2 |
| Criminal sexual assault |
5 |
3 |
| Motor vehicle thefts |
5 |
3 |
| Aggravated assault |
4 |
1 |
|
Until the end of the current winter term, the City of
Ypsilanti Police Department is working with DPS to provide
extra patrols near campus to deter potential robberies.
"I do not see that we are going to end all this stuff.
It's a matter of trying to keep a cap on it," Harshberger
said.
Both O'Dell and Harshberger emphasized to students that,
if they are approached and asked for money or other valuables
by individuals, the students should comply and hand over
the money.
"About 99.9 percent of the time, they (criminals) just
take what they want and leave," Harshberger said. "If they're
wanting to get you in a vehicle for a carjacking or kidnapping,
or trying to order you into a room, then you have to start
thinking differently. Something else is now happening.
You need to scream and/or run."
O'Dell stressed that, if a student is robbed, he or she
should avoid a physical confrontation and report the incident
immediately, not wait until the next day. Swift reporting
on students' part will result in law enforcement having
a better chance to solve the crime.
Some safety suggestions from EMU students included developing
a mapping system to show where crimes are actually occurring
on campus and making a safety meeting mandatory during
new student orientation. Eastern Michigan officials said
the former was in progress and that campus safety sessions
are available during orientation.
Wesley, who came to campus a little over six weeks ago,
said he would essentially coordinate a campus emergency
plan in the event of scenarios such as a fire, chemical
spill or campus shooting. Wesley was planning and program
development section manager for the Michigan Department
of State Police's Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Division from 2005-2009.
"My goal, really, is to work with different departments,
faculty and staff to create a university that is safe and
resilient," Wesley said. "I want to make sure that, if
something happens, you can get back to the business of
the university and get (students) through to graduation
with a minimum of disruption."
Wesley encouraged those present, if they haven't already
done so, to sign up for the University's emergency text
messaging alert service. The alerts will provide real-time
information as a text message to one's cell phone in the
event of an emergency. To date, 6,834 students, faculty
and staff have signed up for the service.
