The security of Creighton students is of the utmost importance to Public Safety. The recent “Fall 2012” issue of the “Annual Campus Security and Fire Security Report” educates the college community on a broad variety of topics including campus policies, crime prevention and what to do in different types of emergency situations.

Interesting observations made on statistics about campus crime, compiled over the past three years, may bring significant and consequential issues to the forefront of student and staff minds alike.

Public Safety reports that there has been a significant increase in the amount of burglaries in residence halls and surrounding areas.

From 2009-2010, it has been disclosed that the number of attempted and completed accounts of motor vehicle theft have risen from one to four.

“Four is actually a really low number,” Arts & Sciences freshman Corinna Edwards said. “I don’t think the statistics are a big deal. It’s not exactly surprising … we’re a big campus. I have my car in the [McGloin] parking ramp, and there’s so much security. You have to use your ID to get in and out and there are cameras everywhere.”

Arts & Sciences junior John Sarmiento believes that everyone has the ability to make some changes to increase their personal safety.

“Safety and protection of our things are common knowledge, but sometimes we slip up or luck is not on our side, then we face the consequences,” Sarmiento said. “Simple things like always carrying your bag to locking your door should keep those statistics from going up.”

In order to make “college campuses safer through the disclosure” of the safety report, federal legislation passed in November 1990 under the Campus Security Act and the Higher Education Opportunity Act made it mandatory for almost all postsecondary institutions to publish a formal report on public safety matters.

by Sangamithra Sathian