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Policeagenciesworktominimizestudentvictims

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Policeagenciesworktominimizestudentvictims
Crime|DelmarvaCrossroads|August30,201211:27am
ByReedShelton
StaffWriter

SALISBURYBecausecrimeisstillaneverpresentconcernatSalisburyUniversitybothonandnearthecampustheSalisburyPolice
DepartmentandtheSUPoliceDepartmenthavebeentakingmeasurestokeepseriousinfractionsataminimum.
CaptainPaulSimon,a24yearveteranoftheSPD,saidthemostcommoninfractionsoffcampusarerelativelyminoroffenses.
ThemostfrequentcallsforserviceregardingSalisburyUniversitystudentsarenoiseviolationsandalcoholviolationswithregardtounderage
drinkingandopencontainerviolations,Simonsaid.Byandlarge,however,mostofthe(students)areexcellentcitizens.Thereareafewproblems
occasionally,butmostlytheirbehaviorisoutstanding.
AccordingtoSUscrimestatistics,availableonline,thenumberofarrestsforliquorlawoffensesaveraged37peryearbetween2008and2010.
Wehaveanotoleranceapproachtounderagedrinking,Simonsaid.Soifthatsthecase,thestudentwillbereceivingacivilcitation.
Acitationforunderagedrinkingcan,atthejudgesdiscretion,resultinafineofupto$500.Anopencontainerviolationcanresultinafineofupto
$500plusamaximumof90daysinjail.
Noiseviolationshavedroppedovertheyears,accordingtoSimon,duetostudentshavinglargecomplexesinwhichtheyliveasideotherstudents.
Becauseofthis,SUundergraduatesarelesslikelytolivenearfamilies,resultinginfewercallstothepolice.
However,studentsfromSUstillfacetheriskofbeingvictimizedbylocalcriminalswhoarenotstudents.
Rightnowwerecurrentlydealingwiththeftsfrom(students)motorvehicles,Simonsaid.Wereeducatingstudentstolocktheircarsandbring
theirvaluablesinside.Werealsodealingwithburglaries,especiallyduringspringbreak,andurgingstudentstobevigilantinlockinguptheir
buildings.
Between2008and2010,oncampusburglariesaveraged25peryear.
Thereisalsoafairlysignificantproblemwithbicycletheft,sopoliceareaskingstudentstoeitherlockuptheirbikesorbringthemindoors.
ChiefEdLashley,whoservedwiththeMarylandStatePolicefor28yearspriortojoiningtheSUPDsevenyearsago,saidmeasuresaretakenon
campustoprotectstudentsfrombeingvictimsofcrime.
Weprovidecrimepreventioneducationandofferselfdefenseclassestostudentstoaidininstancesofattemptedrape,Lashleysaid.
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Inotherattemptstokeepstudentssafe,LashleysaidtheSUPDregularlyspeakstotheStudentGovernmentAssociationaboutcrimepreventionand
safetymeasure.
We(also)havemorethan40bluelightemergencyphoneswhereallyouhavetodoispushabuttonanditconnectstousimmediately,headded.
Theseemergencyphones,Lashleysaid,aredispersedstrategicallythroughoutthecampus,particularlyinareasthataresecluded.Additionally,
anyonewithcellularphoneservicethroughVerizoncandial#787toconnectdirectlywiththeSUPDdispatch.
CrimereportsfromSUbetween2008and2010citethenumberofdrugarrestsatanaverageofsixperyear,andforciblesexoffensesatanaverage
ofjustoverthreeperyear,yetzeroillegalweaponspossessions.In2010,therewerethreehatecrimesoneactofvandalisminvolvingbiasagainst
religionandoneagainstrace,andoneaggravatedassaultinvolvingbiasagainstethnicity.Additionally,MauriceJames,19,wasconvictedof
attemptedfirstdegreerape,attemptedseconddegreerape,thirddegreesexualoffense,seconddegreeassault,recklessendangermentandfalse
imprisonmentonAug.15.JamesattackedanSUstudentonMarch31ofthisyearbehindSUsMaggsGym.Hissentencinghasbeenschedulefor
Oct.4.
Simonsaidtherearenumerousmeasuresstudentscantaketostaysafewhileschoolisinsession.
First,(students)needtotravelinnumbers.Theyneedtowatchoutforeachotherbecognitiveoftheirsurroundings,andpayattentiontotheirgut
instincts,Simonsaid.Weofferescortstostudentsiftheyfeelindanger,andimportantly,theyneedtounderstandthatiftheyreimpaired,we
encouragethemtousetheSafeRideprogramofferedbySalisburyUniversitytopickthemupandtakethemhome.
ButemphasizingthelackofincreaseincrimeoncampushasbeentherelativestasisofSUPDofficersoverrecentyears.
Theactualnumberofswornofficershasbeenconstant,whichisagoodfeatwhenyoulookatthemanypolicedepartmentsacrossthecountrythat
arelosingnumbers,Lashleysaid.Wehaventhadtoincreaseanyorloseanyofficers.
However,Lashleyadded,Ontheotherhand,thecampushasemployedsecurityofficerstosupplementthepolicenumbers,andtheyvebeenvitalto
oursecurityhere.
Oneofthemostimportantaspectsofmaintainingstudentsafetyappearstobethesurveillancecamerassetuparoundcampus,accordingtoLashley.
IwouldsaythatoursurveillancesystemisprobablythemostsophisticatedandindepthsystemonDelmarva,anditsbeenaveryeffectivetoolin
combatingcrimesoncampus,Lashleysaid.Itwasdesignedtodosowhileprovidingalevelofprivacyinaccordancetolegalstandards,but(for
wouldbecriminals)yourenotjustdealingwiththeSUPD,yourealsodealingwithoureyesinthesky,sotospeak.

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