Eastern Michigan University’s Department of Public Safety released its 2012 Annual Security Report and Fire Safety Report. The reports summarize crime statistics for the last three years and outline the university’s safety policies.
Included in the report is a message from EMU’s Chief of Police Robert Heighes.
“Your safety is our concern,” Heighes said. “It also must be your concern. At Eastern Michigan University we work hard to prevent crime, fire, accidents and illness, but nothing is as important as what you do and, in some cases don’t do.”
The report includes a comparison of the number and types of crimes committed at EMU in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The crimes listed include violent and nonviolent crimes occurring on campus, in non-campus buildings and on public property.
Crimes occurring in 2011 included:
Criminal sexual assaults (forcible): four on campus, one in a non-campus building
Robbery: two on campus
Burglary: 13 on campus, six in non-campus buildings
Motor vehicle theft: two on campus
Arson: seven on campus
The report also lists instances of hate crimes occurring in the last three years. In 2011, there was “one incident of destruction/damage/vandalism of property on campus, which occurred in a dorm/apartments characterized by sexual orientation bias.”
Also included in the report is a list of arrests for weapons, drug and alcohol violations:
Illegal weapons possession: three on campus
Drug law violations: 53 on campus, three on public property
Liquor law violations: 63 on campus, one in a non-campus building, eight on public property
In addition to arrests, the report also lists judicial referrals for weapons, drug and alcohol violations:
Drug law violations: 115 on campus, eight in non-campus buildings
Liquor law violations: 103 on campus
The report outlines efforts made by the university to create a safe environment for students, including timely warnings, Student Eyes and Ears for University Safety, crime awareness seminars and the area police officer program. It also lists the following safety tips for those living in residence halls:
• Do not prop open locked residence hall doors.
• Lock your door when sleeping or showering.
• Lock your room when leaving a roommate asleep inside.
• Lock your door when you leave, regardless of the length of time
you plan to be gone.
• Be mindful of tailgating, which is following or walking closely behind a resident or person into a secured or locked facility without permission and without being identified. These incidents should be reported to resident staff and the DPS.
• Keep small items of value such as wallets, money and jewelry out of plain view.
• Engrave all valuable items with a personal identifying code (your own lettering or numbering system). Keep a record and photograph of all valuables noting descriptions and serial numbers.
• Mark all clothing with a laundry pencil or permanent marker in a place other than the label.
• Do not leave notes on your door announcing that no one is in.
• Do not place decals on your door with your name or phone number.
• Do not take in overnight guests whom you do not know.
• Do not allow door-to-door salespeople to enter your room. University ordinances prohibit soliciting and the alleged salesperson may be casing your room for later theft.
• Request identification and authorization from maintenance staff requesting to remove furniture or to make repairs in your room.
• Never lend your room key or Eagle ID card to anyone and never have your room keys duplicated.
• Report all thefts immediately to university police at 734-487-1222.
• Report to the residence hall staff all doors, locks and windows that are in need of repair.
• Be suspicious of unknown persons loitering or checking doors in your hall. Note their description and call the university police immediately.
• Do not invite people you meet on the Internet to your room or to stay overnight in your room.
The safety report also includes descriptions of various offenses, the consequences for committing them and advice for victims of the offenses.
The fire safety report lists the number of fires in the residence halls and apartments in each of the last three years, along with the cause, number of injuries and deaths related to them, and value of property damage.
In 2011, there was a total of seven fires in EMU residential facilties:
Best Residence Hall: One fire caused by Arson
Cornell Courts: One fire caused by cooking accident
Putnam Residence Hall: One fire caused by Arson
Walton Residence Hall: One fire caused by Arson
Wise Residence Hall: Three fires caused by Arson
These reports are released every year in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, more commonly known as the Clery Act. According to the report, the Clery Act “requires institutions of higher education receiving federal financial aid to report specified crimes statistics on college campuses, and to provide other safety and crime information to members of the campus community.”
The reports can be viewed in full at www.emich.edu/publicsafety/police/crimeinformation/index.php.
