Columbus OH Oct 4 2012 Forcible sex offenses on campus have more than doubled since2010, while burglaries and robberies have dropped, according to Forcible sex offense reports rose to 28 cases in 2011, anincrease from 21 documented cases in 2009 and 12 in 2010, according to the report.Forcible sex offenses are defined by the F.B.I. as rape and attempt, forciblefondling, forcible sodomy and sexual assault with an object.
The increase might be a result of more accurate reporting,said OSU Deputy Chief of Police Richard Morman.
“A few years ago, there was a big increase in the samecategory because some of the (university) counselors were not reporting thatinformation to us,” Morman said. “If it happened on campus, we need to includeit.”
In fact, Morman said he thinks 2010 was the unusual year.
“We weren’t sure that we were getting as many reported as weshould be,” Morman said. “2011 seems more consistent.”
According to university police records, six sexualimpositions have been reported in 2012, compared to 11 in 2011 and six in 2010.Ohio Law defines sexual imposition as sexual contact in which the offenderknows it will upset the victim, the victim is unaware of the contact or unableto “control the offender,” the victim is between 13 and 16 years old and theoffender is older than 18, or the offender is a mental health professional andconvinces the victim the “contact is necessary for mental health treatment.”
Six reported cases of rape in 2012 have been documented inuniversity police records, compared to six in 2011 and three in 2010.
There were also nine weapon law violations leading toarrests on campus, a rise compared to the three and two in 2009 and 2010,respectively. Drug law violations increased to 63 arrests in 2011 and 20 in2010. Alcohol law violation arrests fell to 252 arrests in 2011 from 345 in2010.
Burglary and robbery on campus fell in 2011, according toOSU’s 2012 annual security report. Robbery, theft accompanied by force orintimidation, fell from 11 cases in 2010 to seven in 2011, while burglary, abreak-in with intent to commit a crime, dropped from 178 cases in 2009 and 147cases in 2010, to 22 burglaries in 2011.
University Police was skeptical about the drop inburglaries, Morman said.
“(We double-checked) the burglary reports and theft reportsto make sure we were titling them correctly,” Morman said.
Morman added he thinks the drop in burglaries was partly dueto better education “because if you keep your property secure … that lessens(robbery and burglary), too.”
Several other categories of crimes, such as aggravatedassault, arson and motor vehicle theft, also fell.
“I would like to attribute that to good police work,” Mormansaid.
Morman added that OSU as a whole is doing a better job ofreporting crimes to public safety because the annual security report is notjust based on police reports but on reports made anonymously by universityemployees such as coaches, campus security personnel and counselors.
University Police recently partnered with the ColumbusDivision of Police to allow University Police to act on crimes they witness offcampus, which Morman said could increase future safety as well.
“I think time will tell. I think it’s a move in the rightdirection,” Morman said.
Lindsay Komlanc, an OSU Administration and Planningspokeswoman, stated in an email that the report acts as an educational tool forthe university.
“We take crime prevention very seriously here at
Some students said the report results are a step in theright direction but think there are some safety improvements that need to bemade.
“It’s a good thing that the numbers that came out show thatthe crime has gone down, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Ohio Stateshould lessen its forces because crime can happen at any time,” said JessicaSimmons, a fourth-year in chemistry.
Other students said they felt campus was getting safer.
“It’s good for the community that everything is safer,” saidWilliam Drees, a first-year in chemical engineering. “I think (UniversityPolice is) doing a good job.”
Source:the lantern
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