Clery crime alerts not the same as raw crime numbers
I write in response to an editorial in the Nov. 3, 2009, issue of The New Hampshire because I feel strongly that our students need to have complete and accurate information about crime on campus.
The number of Clery crime alerts released is not in any way representative of the type or number of crimes on campus. The federal Clery Act requires the University Police Department to post timely warnings to notify members of the university community about serious crimes that occur on campus if it constitutes an ongoing or continuing threat to the community. What is very important to note, however, is that warnings for these crimes will not be issued if the perpetrator is apprehended and there is no longer a threat of imminent danger, or if the department was not notified in a timely manner.
This distinction is very important. Yes, it is absolutely disturbing and unacceptable that there have been three assaults on campus since Jan. 1, 2009. We continue to actively investigate the two that remain unsolved and urge anyone with information to contact university police at 862-1427. The campus alerts issued to the community have resulted in multiple calls to the department, and it is important to know they work. A good example of just how well they work is the Oct. 22 arrest of a Manchester man for an assault outside Stoke Hall – the direct result of a tip generated from the alert.
It is important to note that overall, crime is not on the rise on campus. The Clery Act requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses. These crimes include homicide, sex offenses, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson and other crimes as determined necessary. In 2008 (Jan. 1-Nov. 30) there were 26 reported crimes that fit federal Clery Act reporting guidelines. Comparatively, there have been 22 in 2009, year-to-date.
Safety on our campus is everyone’s responsibility. No matter how many police officers are on the street or where they are, it is impossible to prevent every crime. The University Police Department has an average response time of less than two minutes to any reported crime on campus. We take crime very seriously, and are aggressive in joining forces with the Durham Police Department to go after grants, including ones that help combat alcohol-related offenses on campus. It is a mistake to suggest there is not a connection between alcohol and crime. One U.S. Department of Justice report found that alcohol was a factor in 40 percent of violent crimes. Combating alcohol abuse is most certainly an important crime-fighting tool.
Chief Nicholas Halias
University Police Department
Students need to stand up, make the 911 call
After reading the articles “Attack between Stoke and Sawyer sends victim to hospital” and “UNH police need a new strategy,” I realized something.
It isn’t that the UNH police need a new strategy. It’s us.
The most recent assault that occurred outside Sawyer on Halloween was a brutal and cowardly act on a fellow student and what did we do? We walked by. We acted as if nothing was happening. One person, only one person, had the compassion to make a phone call to notify the police. I thank them for their courage.
I’m not advocating that we put ourselves in danger to stop something, but why was there only one phone call? A police officer, once dispatched, arrived at the scene in less than one minute; seven more officers arrived minutes later. The chief of police himself was on scene, a scene empty of witnesses. Where were the witnesses to this vicious attack? In the Stoke assault, tips led to the arrest of a non-student suspected to be involved in the attack of one of our fellow students.
I implore everyone and anyone who may know something about this crime to call the authorities, you can be anonymous, and I insist that this never happens again. No student should have walked by as another person was so violently attacked that they had to be sent to the hospital. Be there for each other; we all live in the same community. We may have failed that night to protect a fellow classmate, roommate, and friend, but let’s work together to catch the scum who would perpetrate such an act.
Richard W. Peyser III
Student Body Vice-President
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