Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jan 2003
Source: Oregon Daily Emerald (OR Edu)
Copyright: 2003, Oregon Daily Emerald
Contact:  http://www.dailyemerald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1518
Author: Caron Alarab

BOOZE, BIKES AND BLUNTS

Bike Thefts and Drug and Alcohol Violations Have Risen Steadily On Campus 
and Around the Community

Thefts, drugs and alcohol -- that's what campus crimes are made of.

According to the Department of Public Safety crime statistics for 1999 
through 2001, the most prominent violations in the University community are 
bike theft and drug and liquor law offenses.

DPS reported a steady rise in bike thefts, from 123 in 1999 to 184 in 2001, 
with total thefts climbing from 419 in 1999 to 485 in 2001. The Eugene 
Police Department reported 727 bike thefts citywide in 2001, 12 percent of 
which were in the West University neighborhood. Due to the "cyclical 
nature" of bike thefts, DPS Associate Director Tom Hicks said the present 
statistics demonstrate a peak in the crime rate and, with any luck, a 
decline soon to come.

"We saw a steep increase in bike thefts in the mid-'90s," he said, "and 
it's on the rise again."

The reported recovery rate for bikes through DPS has been between five and 
seven percent historically, and 2001 was no different. The total loss value 
in stolen bikes reported citywide to EPD in 2001 was $306,818, with a 12.8 
percent recovery rate.

"Unfortunately, we have not been able to make a big enough impact on those 
statistics," Hicks said, adding that the Hamilton and Bean complexes are 
two of the biggest targets on campus.

But freshman Bean resident Kelly Brown said she doesn't blame the University.

"With the huge number of bikes on campus, there's only so much DPS officers 
can do," she said.

Last term, Brown helped stop a suspicious individual from tampering with a 
friend's bike at the rack located outside Bean East. She said the best 
precaution students can take against bike theft is to invest in a good lock.

"Locking your bike with a cable is just asking for it," she said.

University Planning, Facilities Services and DPS are combining efforts to 
eventually provide more secure bike parking alternatives to students, 
particularly surrounding the residence halls, Hicks said. Added expenses to 
students and limited space are expected to hinder the progress of settling 
on a design; however, more ideas are intended to be tested on campus within 
the next few weeks, he said.

Besides theft, DPS also reported a rise in drug violations from 28 arrests 
in 1999 to 105 in 2001, which is dwarfed by EPD's 2001 figure of 2,929 
drug-related arrests citywide. The EPD definition of a drug violation 
covers a variety of offenses, including possession, sale, furnishing, 
cultivating (marijuana), manufacturing (opium or heroine), obtaining 
unlawfully and tampering, EPD spokeswoman Carrie Delf said.

Although the DPS definition covers the same range of violations, Hicks said 
at least 95 percent of reported offenses involve possession of less than an 
ounce of drugs.

"A joint or two is typical," Hicks said of the frequency of marijuana 
confiscations.

A major factor in the rise of drug violations is the increasing number of 
residents willing to call in and complain about odd smells or mischievous 
activity, he said. The decreasing amount of student tolerance also reflects 
a better level of awareness within the University community. When the 
number of drug violations reported at on-campus housing facilities 
quadrupled between 1999 and 2000, Hicks said the entire campus noticed, yet 
the cause was not clearly defined. "Perhaps more students from that 
particular (freshman) class came in smoking pot and figured they could get 
away with it," he said.

DPS Liquor Law violations spiked from 72 arrests in 1999 to 198 in 2000, 
and dropped slightly to 190 in 2001. Hicks said the rise was partly due to 
the assignment of two DPS officers who assisted in residence hall rounds 
and enforcement in 2000. The relatively sustained number reported in 2001 
reflects a significant rise in violations off-campus -- from one in 1999 to 
42 in 2001 -- which includes Riley and Barnhart halls as well as all greek 
houses.

"It's a combination of greater enforcement and a few large parties held on 
greek property," he said, adding that 2002 will undoubtedly reflect an 
increase in alcohol-related offenses.
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