Mike Borr, the director of the University Police and Safety Office, issued a campus-wide email was sent on Sept. 12 to all North Dakota State students, faculty and staff, detailing the 2016-2017 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
The report provides crime statistics, resources available to students in case of emergency, NDSU’s policies pertaining to alcohol and other drugs, tips on crime prevention and safety tips.
The report also shows offenses by location, being offenses that occurred on campus property, inside on-campus housing facilities, on non-campus property, on public property and unfounded crimes.
Borr said, “if (crimes are) reported to us and we know about (them), those are included in the crime statistics.” The crime statistics accurately portray the amount of reported crime that occurs on campus.
Borr said he believes that the NDSU campus is a safe place from day to day. “The safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff is our number one priority,” he added.
Borr, along with UPSO chief William Vandal, said that there has not been a marked difference in the reported crime statistics in the past few years, which indicates that the crime rate here at NDSU has not increased in relation to the increase in students on campus.
Borr said that most crimes occur on campus on “Friday and Saturday evening, because that is when there is the largest amount of foot traffic.”
The report indicated there were 367 crime and referral offenses at NDSU in 2015, up from 362 in 2014 and lower than 384 in 2013.
By Crime
There were 34 counts of drug law arrests in 2015, which was the same as 2014 but higher than 2013’s 28 counts.
Liquor law arrests are also at a three-year high. In 2015, there were 153 counts of liquor law arrests, higher than 134 and 143 counts in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Liquor and drug law violations referred for disciplinary action are each at three year lows. In 2015, there were 157 liquor law violations referred for disciplinary action, along with zero drug law violations referred for disciplinary action. These are lower numbers than the 165 and 174 liquor law violations referred for disciplinary action in 2014 and 2013, respectively, and four and 14 drug law violations referred for disciplinary action in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Counts of fondling are also at a three year high of four offenses for 2015. In 2014 and 2013, there were one and zero counts of fondling, respectively.
Stalking offenses are also at a three year high of four counts. In 2014 and 2013, there were zero and one count, respectively.
Theft of motor vehicle offenses are at a three year high, of three counts in 2015. There were zero counts in 2014 and one count in 2013.
Domestic violence offenses are at a three year low. Four counts of domestic violence were reported in 2015, down from five counts in 2014 yet tied with the amount in 2013.
NDSU’s most committed offense in 2014, excluding drug and liquor law violations, was arson with six counts. In 2015, there were only one count, down approximately 82 percent.
In 2015, 2014 and 2013 there were no offenses of dating violence, murder, manslaughter by negligence, incest, statutory rape, robbery and weapons law violations referred for disciplinary action.
“I feel very safe on campus. I brought a scooter with me to school, and I haven’t had any issues so far with damages,” Kacee Brogen, an NDSU freshman, said.
Colten Ford, an NDSU freshman, said he “skimmed the Annual Security Report, but no specific crime statistics stand out as being particularly problematic.”
Freshman Cody Henne said he feels safe on campus and the crime statistics probably indicate that campus is overall a safe place.
“Although it is difficult to see any clear trends in the crime statistics, my hope is that NDSU students continue to respect and support each other in all situations. We have a unique community at NDSU, and I think most students understand that and are thankful for it. Crime is a reality and I do not diminish the terrible effects it has on our community members, but I am thankful for the good I see all around me. If there was ever an ideal community to eliminate crime, I believe we live in it now,” Spencer Moir, student body president, said.
Anuj Teotia, student body vice president, said, “The 2016-2017 Annual Safety Report provides a really good insight to all the efforts that NDSU is taking to make sure that the campus is a safe and secure place for students to learn, live, and grow. I am grateful that NDSU University Police and Safety Office is continuously working hard to make sure that out campus is a safe place. I personally appreciate the notifications from the NDSU Campus Emergency Notification Systems, as it reinforces that students are safe on campus. I urge the entire student body to read the report for their own personal safety and security.”
Borr and Vandal said that students should utilize the Pathlight app and the campus safety escort service. “Also, use the buddy system. Walk with others, (as) that group atmosphere does help. We push the buddy system, and letting people know where you’re going, and [having and using] the safety and security app,” they said.
[Update: This post originally contained crime statistic numbers that were incorrectly calculated. The proper numbers were since calculated, and the post has been corrected to reflect such data.]