University Public Safety reported year 2000 crime statistics last week.
With American patriotism surging in the wake of the terrorist attacks last month and University pride swelling with the installation of the academy's 19th president Shirley Tilghman, Princetonians are riding high on a wave of freedom and seem unconcerned with petty thefts and larcenies.
But the increasing numbers in this year's crime report reveal it may be the campus' relative openness that allows these statistics to grow. The overwhelming majority of crime on campus is committed by University students against other students, said University Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser.
"It would be a lot easier if there were an outside gang that did this," Weiser said. "We can stop people who we see cutting locks and putting bikes in vans. But the shame is that is not who's doing this. They're students entering unlocked rooms or riding away on unlocked bikes. We can't stop them. It's our freedom that allows these numbers to get bigger."
Larcenies, including bicycle thefts, rose to 485 from 369 in 1999. Continuing this trend, burglaries — crimes committed by breaking into either locked or unlocked areas — rose to 82 from 58 in 1999, according to the report.
"Of all these crimes, I would say 85 percent involved unlocked doors or bikes," Weiser said. "Students just need to be more careful. We can't say it enough, but locking your possessions makes a big difference."
There were seven aggravated assaults in 2000, compared to two in each of the previous two years. The tripling of assaults, however, was mostly the result of altercations during Reunions in 2000, said Weiser.
Other serious crimes remained at levels similar to those of previous years. There were no murders or robberies, four automobile thefts and two forcible sexual assaults, according to the report.
New administrative procedures adopted by public safety during the last two years, including conforming to changes in federal reporting requirements in 1994 and 1999, may also play a role in the higher numbers, according to Weiser.
"We are being diligent with reporting all crimes," he said. "We're carefully reporting everything."
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