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Volume 38 Issue 10
February 27, 2001

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Study shows surge in U.S. campus crime

BY JON REESE
U-WIRE
Submitted Feburary 27, 2001

Seattle, WA – On the afternoon of January 27, Half and Susanne Zantop, both popular professors at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, were brutally murdered in their home. Robert Tulloch, 17, and James Parker, 16, fled New Hampshire February 15 after being identified as suspects in the slayings.

Monday, at 4 a.m., police arrested the pair at a truck stop in New Castle, Indiana. They have each been charged as adults with two counts of first-degree murder for the crimes.

The slaying at Dartmouth is not an isolated incident but rather representative of a national trend that shows violent crime is on the rise in and around America’s colleges. In U.S. Department of Education’s annual report on campus crime statistics, issued in January, colleges and universities across the country have reported an increase in crime. The report, first mandated by Congress in 1990, is a collection of campus crime statistics in 1999 collected by the DOE.

The report revealed that nearly 400,000 serious crimes occurred near American college and university campuses in 1999, including 754 homicides. This trend is evident at the University of Washington. In 2000, there were 2 homicides involving UW students or staff, one on-campus. On April 30, UW freshman James Sanderson was shot and killed by a pizza delivery driver in an argument on the Ave. On June 28, medical resident Jian Chen shot and killed his boss, Dr. Rodger Haggitt, before turning the gun on himself.

Despite these instances, UWPD Chief Vicky Peltzer characterizes the UW as a safe school.

Statistics indeed show that the UW has a lower crime rate than many schools of similar size. Still, the UWPD keeps on its toes.

"Homicides are unpredictable," said Peltzer. "There is no single factor that contributes to it."

The report also showed that nationwide, the largest amount of crimes were alcohol-related, with a total of 25,933 arrests for liquor violations.

The UWPD reported 95 liquor-law and 127 drug-law related arrests, less than a one-fourth of which happened in the dorms.

The UWPD, whose 51 commissioned officers have jurisdiction over all University property including the dorms, reported that its single largest offense was larceny, with 793 incidents in 1999.

Chief Peltzer said that most thefts are not committed by UW students, but instead by outsiders with no University connections.

They come on campus with the intent of committing a crime, she said.

UWPD also reported seven on-campus aggravated assaults and four forcible-sex offenses in 1999. Nationwide, there were 3,777 aggravated assaults, and forcible sex offenses increased to 1,842.

"In general, when you have assaults, they usually are alcohol-related," said Peltzer.

Peltzer also said that the UW also has a problem with car prowls in University parking lots.

If cars are not stolen, they may be burglarized.

The UW reported 46 on-campus vehicle thefts in 1999, with 6,201 motor vehicle thefts nationally.

The UW has taken many steps to increase safety and security for students and staff.

The U-Pass Night Ride program offers students a ride home at night, and UW Cares provides students with two companions to walk them home after dark.

Also, 24-hour facilities such as Odegaard Library are limited to student-only use between midnight and 8 am.

"A lot of it has to do with proactive enforcement and education," she said.

"I have to give credit to the community for their help and support."