A motor vehicle theft, a report of burglary, an on-campus sex offense and four drug violations highlight the campus police department’s annual release of its 2011 campus crime data.

The Campus Police Department released its annual Security and Fire Safety Report for 2011 on Sept. 27. Release of the data is stipulated in the Campus Security Act, also known as the Clery Act, a law signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990.

The release of the report contains information on specific crimes and incidents that happen on and around campus.

 

OCCC Campus Police Chief James Fitzpatrick said because OCCC doesn’t have dorms, a lot of the crimes listed in the Clery Act are low compared to other colleges.

Fitzpatrick said theft is usually the most significant crime reported on campuses but OCCC listed just one on the Campus Security report.

“This is a very safe campus,” Fitzpatrick said, “We are concerned about every incident that happens on campus and have no problem complying to the Clery Act.”

The report also includes information and statistics from 2009 through 2011. In 2009, a forcible sex offense was reported on campus, the only one reported in the last three years.

The offense was reported on Aug. 28 and involved two unidentified men, one of whom was stalking the other, according to the police report. The stalking rose to a climax when the man “grabbed [the other man] by the scrotum,” according to the police report.

No charges were pressed in the incident.

Other incidents reported are single cases of aggravated assault and burglary, both of which occurred off campus.

A total of seven motor vehicle thefts were reported in 2009 and 2010, but only one in 2011 according to the report.

Business major Tyler Hinkle said he feels safe at OCCC.

“I’m always seeing the school officers in the hallways and patrolling around the campus,” Hinkle said.

“I feel like we have enough security at the school which is good because I am able to feel safe in class.

“I have not had any incidents with crime.”

Student Erica Coit said she also feels safe at OCCC.

“I feel that the school does a pretty good job of notifying the students through email about any crime or incidents that have taken place,” Coit said.

A total of four drug violations were reported as occurring on campus and in a non-campus building, according to the report.

Fitzpatrick detailed the differences between a robbery and burglary, which are listed in the Clery Report, and a larceny, which is not detailed in the Clery Report.

Fitzpatrick said a robbery is someone taking something with force or fear, and used a face-to-face example of someone holding a gun to another person, demanding a wallet.

A burglary involves breaking into a place to take something Fitzpatrick said.

A larceny, however, is “completely a crime of stealth,” Fitzpatrick said.

He used the example of a pickpocket and of someone being taken advantage of without the person’s knowledge.

Larcenies are one of the most frequently reported crimes on campus.

Fitzpatrick said technically, if someone finds something on campus, whether it be a laptop or backpack, and does not turn it into the campus police, they have committed a larceny of found property.

All of the information released in the report is available for public viewing in compliance with the 1990 Campus Security Act and the Student- Right-To-Know Act.

The report, as well as other reported crime and incident information, is available to view at occc.edu/police.

Also included in the report is the information that no criminal offenses listed in the report were considered “hate crimes.”

Students and employees are also given tips on how to report crimes, medical emergencies, fires and suspicious activity on campus.

Some of these tips include how to use the call boxes in the parking lot or calling 405-682- 7872 from any phone.

In cooperation with the Clery Act, the school is required to email a link to the website with the information to all students and faculty. The email was sent Sept. 27 by Fitzpatrick.

To contact Mitchell Richards, email staffwriter4@occc.edu.