While some students said the frequency of alert messages makes it appear as if there has been more crime on Boston University’s campus, police said the overall crime rate is lower in the fall 2012 semester.
BUPD Crime Analysis Unit Officer Peter Shin said overall crime on campus through Oct. 21 has decreased 29 percent from the 2011–12 academic year.
“We try and distribute our officers to locations that are showing higher numbers of incidents,” he said. “In places where there’s a lot of incidences, like the [George Sherman Union], we try and have more presence there and deter more of that crime there.”
Shin said while he cannot quantify an increase in alerts from last year, BUPD is always attempting to make students more informed, which contributes to less crime.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen an increase in people calling the department for things,” he said. “We’re trying to make ourselves more available to the public. We want to shake that perception that people are bothering us because they think they see something but they may be embarrassed to report it to us.”
BUPD sends out alerts to students depending on the severity of the crime, Shin said.
“Depending on the incident, and whether we think the incident is an ongoing threat to the community, an alert is going to go out,” he said.
In September and October, BU students received alerts in a string of three armed robberies and one attempted armed robbery on and around BU’s Charles River Campus.
Shin said BUPD crime reports reveal 10 robberies occurred between Jan. 1, 2011, and Oct. 21, 2011.
“The difference is these three robberies [in September and October] occurred in the course of 14 days, and the other 10 [in 2011] occurred somewhere around 10 months,” he said. “The timing and location of robberies can also be a big factor. If you hit two or three robberies and they’re all in the same area, it starts to affect how people think.”
Shin said crime has decreased in areas other than robberies.
Between Sept. 1, 2011, and Oct. 21, 2011, BUPD crime reports reveal there were three incidences of aggravated assault in 2011 and none in 2012. There were six incidences of simple assault in 2011 compared to four in 2012, and five incidences of car break-ins in 2011, compared to two in 2012.
Shin said larceny and burglary have the highest number of incidents at BU.
The crime report for the academic year shows there were 95 larceny incidents in 2011 compared to 56 in 2012, he said. There were eight burglary incidents from Sept. 1, 2011, to Oct. 21, 2011, compared to one from Sept. 1, 2012, to Oct. 21, 2012.
Shin said BUPD has been doing crime analysis for the past six years and crime rates will likely stay decreased.
“Over the years, we’ve realized when and where the ebb and flow of crime is,” he said. “Traditionally, we get the downturn hits right after the end of October, going into November.”
Some students said the frequency of recent alerts have made them feel unsafe and perceive more crime, despite the overall decrease in crime.
“I feel less safe on campus because I don’t know what BUPD is doing to stop the crimes,” said Erin Mullen, a School of Management junior. “The suspects of the robberies just turned themselves in.”
Nicolas Charlet, a College of Engineering junior, said the alerts are not necessarily helpful.
“I don’t find the alerts very helpful, because there isn’t much you can do about them,” he said.
Natalie Nader, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, she the alerts make her more aware but would prefer them to be concentrated.
“I’d appreciate it if BUPD sent me crime alerts through one medium,” she said.
Nader said she feels safer on campus after the robberies stopped.
“I felt less safe on campus while the robberies were happening, but now that it’s over, I’m not as worried,” she added.
College of Communication sophomore Winnie Branton said she appreciates the alerts.
“It makes me feel aware of what’s going on on campus. BUPD tells us to avoid a certain part of campus, and I find this helpful,” she said. “There is probably less crime, but it just seems like there is more because so much crime has happened in such a small amount of time.”
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