During our Special Report: Crime series,we are taking a look at local crime and safety measures. One area of crime that concerns many families these days is safety on college campuses.
Below we share stats aggregated by the TBI in their 2014 Annual Report (the latest full report available). You will see the top five schools that reported the highest number of offenses.
The University with the most reported offenses was Vanderbilt University with a total of 817 offenses followed by University of Tennessee-Knoxville with 667. Rounding out the list was MTSU with 380,University of Memphis 294 and Tennessee State University with 293.
Below we have created a table with all of the reporting schools listed on the TBI report where we have selected the top two crimes as reported by the TBI-theft from building and simple assault. For purposes of this report,we have included the TBI definitions of these crimes.
Theft from Building – A theft from within a building which is either open to the general public or of which the offender has legal access.
Simple Assault – An unlawful physical attack by one person upon another where neither the offender displays a weapon, nor the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration or loss of consciousness.
Here are some tips from College Life on how to keep safe on college campuses.
1. Make sure the main door to your hall or apartment building is locked at all times. You wouldn’t just leave the front door to your house open, would you?
2. Don’t let anyone into your hall or apartment building that you don’t know. Not letting someone in doesn’t make you look like a jerk. It makes you look like a good neighbor and, if the person is supposed to be in your hall, they’ll be grateful for it.
3. Make sure your room door is locked at all times. Yes, this even means when you run down the hall to borrow a book or hop in the shower.
4. Be careful with your keys. Also, if you lose them, don’t depend on your roommate to keep letting you in, thinking that your keys will just “pop up.” Pay the fine and get a new set.
5. If you have a car, lock it. It seems so easy to remember, yet it’s so easy to forget.
6. If you have a car, check on it. Just because you haven’t been using your car very much this semester doesn’t mean someone else hasn’t!
7. Get a locking device for your laptop. This may be a physical lock or some kind of electronic tracking or locking device.
8. Watch your stuff in the library. You may need to take a quick run to the vending machines to clear your mind . . . just as someone happens to walk by and see your iPod and laptop unattended.
9. Keep your windows locked. Don’t be so focused on locking your door that you forget to check the windows, too.
10. Put emergency numbers in your cell phone. If your wallet is stolen, will you know what phone number to call to cancel your credit cards?
Put important phone numbers in your cell so that you can call the moment you notice something is missing. The last thing you want is someone cashing in on the money you’ve been budgeting for the rest of the semester.
11. Use the campus escort service at night. You may feel embarrassed, but it’s such a smart idea. And besides, who wouldn’t want a free ride?!
12. Always go somewhere at night with a friend. Male or female, big or small, safe neighborhood or not, this is always a good idea.
13. Make sure someone knows where you are at all times. Heading to a club downtown? Going out on a date? There’s no need to spill all the intimate details, but do let someone (a friend, a roommate, etc.) know where you’re going and what time you expect to get back.
14. If you live off-campus, call someone when you get home. You’re studying for finals with a friend late one night at the library. Make a quick agreement that you’ll call him when you get home later that evening.
15. Know the phone number for Campus Safety. You never know: you may need it for yourself or for something you see from far away.
Knowing the number off the top of your head (or at least having it in your cell phone) may be the most important thing to remember during an emergency.
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