Wednesday, September 28, 2011

UWG Reports Decrease in Crime

Crime at the University of West Georgia has decreased dramatically in most areas over the past three years, according to the annual report of criminal activity released by campus police.

According to Campus Police Chief Thomas Mackel, while no specific reason can be found to explain the drop, crime on campus often depends on a variety of factors, including who is present on campus at a given time.

“We’re pretty consistent on what we do,” Mackel said. “A lot of time crime will be cyclical on campus. For example, around 2005, 2006, we had a burglary ring in one of the residence halls. We very seldom see that, but that did (cause) a real jump in our crime statistics at that time.”

Perhaps the most notable drop in campus citations is the drop in the underage consumption of alcohol, which in 2008 and 2009 hovered around 120, but last year numbered only 42. Mackel said that might not necessarily mean that drinking on campus has ceased, but possibly that students have found a way around getting caught.

“A number of students last year, the officers had noted, had been taking their drinking off campus,” he said. “Others weren’t going out and bringing attention to themselves. Some students actually have decided they’re not going to drink. We still follow the same policy of zero tolerance. One of the things we find is that a lot of our other crimes are related to alcohol.”

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