By Jamie Atkinson
Crimes involving alcohol declined, while drug crimes increased, in the past year, according to Public Safety’s annual campus safety report, a document required by the Campus Crime Statistics Act to be released each year.
The report lists, in table form, the number of occurrences of specific crimes by location, arrest and judicial references for the previous three years ending with 2007, the last completed year. Incidents in these tallies do not include those encountered only by resident assistants, unless Public Safety was called as reinforcement.
Liquor law violations dropped by nearly 80 percent in 2007, with all but one of the 85 incidents occurring in the residence halls, and none resulting in an arrest, according to the report. There were nearly 400 alcohol-related incidents in 2006, with none of them resulting in arrest.
A liquor law violation is considered any incident involving unlawful use of alcohol, including underage drinking, supplying underage persons with alcohol, bootlegging and drinking in public or dry areas of campus. However, drunkenness and drunk driving are not violations.
Drug law violations increased by 36 percent, with 200 total drug violations, none of which resulted in an on-campus arrest. There were six arrests made on public property.
“I don’t think the number of students drinking or doing drugs has decreased,” said Josh Fritter, a sophomore music business major.
No sex offenses, both forcible and non-forcible, were reported during 2007, unlike the last two years, when as many as seven cases a year were reported.
Not all crime decreased, though. There were relatively the same number of burglaries, with 46 cases reported in 2007, as opposed to 48 in 2006. Three aggravated assaults were reported in 2007, with one occurring in a residence hall, though none were reported in 2006. Five motor vehicles were reported as missing, but the report does not indicate where these vehicles were stolen. One account of arson, defined as any incident involving a fire set purposely whether intended to be dangerous or not, was reported in the residence halls as well.
There have not been any hate crimes or criminal homicides in the past three years.
Regardless of these statistics, most students feel they are only safe on campus and are wary when leaving the University.
“Students are always being reminded by fliers that people do get mugged off-campus,” said Lisa Jablon, a sophomore public relations major. “But that doesn’t change how safe I feel while inside Hofstra’s campus. You just have to be smart.”
“The low number of reported crimes and arrests at Hofstra University speaks well of the tradition of personal security,” the report concluded. “That has long been established on our campus.”
A paper copy of the report is available by request from Public Safety and an online copy is also available at http://www.hofstra.edu/campussafetyreport.