Serious crime at the University of Colorado at Boulder has continued a six-year downward trend through 1996, according to a statistical report released today by the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Department of Public Safety.
Part I crimes, defined as the most serious by nature of crime or frequency, are down 18.4 percent over the previous year on campus, and are down 24.5 percent from 1991. Crimes included in the Part I category are homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.
“We are very pleased to see a continuing decline in these types of crimes on campus,” said Jim Fadenrecht, ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-BoulderÂ’s director of public safety. “Safety continues to be a high priority for the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder community with a number of programs focusing on crime prevention and security awareness.”
Data for the statistical report were gathered from January through December 1996. The information is the basis for crime statistics reported by the university to federal and state criminal justice entities as well as to the general public.
In 1996, reported Part I crimes totaled 787, compared with 875 in 1995. Theft remains the most prevalent crime on campus, comprising about 84 percent of the 2,971 crime reports taken in 1996.
For the first time since 1983, burglary dropped below the 100 mark, with only 72 cases reported in 1996, representing a significant 49 percent decline from the 141 cases reported in 1995.
Sex-offense reports also showed a decline, with a total of 15 reported in 1996. Eighteen were reported in 1995. Attempted forcible rape declined from six in 1995 to two in 1996.
Assaults and harassment continued a three-year decline, with 28 assaults in 1996 compared to 33 in 1995, and 127 harassment reports compared to 183 in 1995. Telephone harassment showed a significant decline from a high of 136 cases in 1994 to 58 cases in 1996. Telephone harassment on campus has been the target of promising new investigative techniques, Fadenrecht said.
There were no homicides on campus last year, and only one robbery was reported.
In 1996, there were 145 liquor law violations, including 141 summonses for minors in possession -- up slightly from 142 liquor law violations in 1995. DUI arrests declined from 179 in 1995 to 57 in 1996.
The ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder campus population includes 25,000 students, including about 6,000 living in residence halls, about 2,500 staff members and about 1,500 faculty.
For further information and copies of the report, interested individuals may contact the Staff Services Division of the University of Colorado Department of Public Safety at (303) 492-4262.