printable versionBikes, GPS units hot ticket items for thieves in 2008
Property crimes on campus and at nearby university facilities rose last year, but bodily injury crimes remain very low, according to an annual report by the Stanford Department of Public Safety.
Ted Roberts of the Special Events Patrol with the Stanford Department of Public Safety checks an improperly parked bicycle for a registration tag.
BY KATHLEEN J. SULLIVAN
Last year, thieves stole nearly one bike a day – or 353 bikes – from campus and nearby university buildings and properties, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the Stanford Department of Public Safety.
About 40 percent of the total, or 145 bikes, vanished from areas adjacent to student residences in 2008, according to crime statistics included in the 2009 Stanford University Safety, Security & Fire Report.
The report presents statistics for the last three calendar years on more than a dozen crimes, including bike thefts, burglaries, rapes, and violations of alcohol, drug and weapons laws. It also contains information on campus fires from 2006 to 2008.
The crime statistics account for only five pages of the 50-page report, which is primarily devoted to outlining safety and security guidelines, and the university policies and programs designed to keep Stanford a safe place to learn, work and live.
While the report also shows increases in burglaries of cars and in buildings in 2008, Stanford Police Chief Laura Wilson said the university continues to be a relatively safe place for faculty, students, staff and visitors.
"We are fortunate that we don't have a high rate of bodily injury crimes," she said. "But as a result, people tend to let their guard down, which makes Stanford an easier target for property crimes."
Bicycles vanishing – most without a trace
The report said 353 bicycles disappeared from campus and from nearby university buildings and properties in 2008, compared with 297 in 2007, and 275 in 2006.
In its section on bike safety and security, the report offered some common-sense advice: "Buy a top-quality U-lock to make it more difficult for a thief to use a leverage device to break the lock. Always lock your frame and at least your front wheel. Do not leave your bike locked only to itself. A thief can easily walk away with the bike and remove the lock later."
Wilson offered other words of wisdom, advice that is imparted to all incoming freshmen: "Buy an inexpensive bike. Don't ride expensive racing bikes on campus. Thieves target those right away.
"With more than 10,000 bikes on campus, it's difficult for us to catch bike thieves, so we really rely on the public to be paying attention and report suspicious behavior right away," she said. "The times that the public has noticed someone stealing a bike and quickly reported it, we were fairly successful in catching thieves."
Thefts of golf carts and other motor vehicles
In 2008, 28 golf carts and 10 cars were stolen on campus, from nearby non-campus buildings and properties, and on the Stanford side of public property immediately surrounding the Farm. In 2007, 28 golf carts and 9 cars went missing.
More often than not, it's students who steal the golf carts, Wilson said. "More often than not, it's students who are intoxicated and think it would be fun to steal a golf cart and take it on a joyride. They often damage it in the process. Under California law, if you steal a golf cart you can be charged with stealing a motor vehicle or with grand theft; either way it's a felony."
She noted that some students with disabilities use golf carts as their primary form of transportation.
"Stealing and damaging a golf cart that belongs to someone who needs that cart to be able to move around campus is particularly distasteful to me," Wilson said.
Burglaries of cars and in buildings rose in 2008
The report said the number of motor vehicle burglaries – defined as the unlawful entry into a locked vehicle with the intent to commit a felony or a theft – rose to 122 in 2008, compared with 106 in 2007, and 100 in 2006.
"Last year, the biggest problem was thefts of GPS [global positioning system] units," Wilson said. "Sometimes people remove their GPS but leave the suction cup attachment in plain view, which is a dead giveaway that there's one in the car."
Wilson said burglars also made off with car stereos and laptop computers.
"Along Stanford Avenue, where people park their cars to go for a walk or a run at the Dish, burglars break into cars knowing people have left wallets and purses behind," she added.
According to the report, there were 186 burglaries within buildings in 2008, compared with 141 in 2007, and 138 in 2006.
About 60 percent of last year's burglaries – 117 – occurred at student residences.
"Laptops are big targets for burglars, so are wallets and anything that can be easily taken from a desk in a brief amount of time and put in a backpack," Wilson said. "We've had some burglaries of routers and other pretty pricey computer equipment, but the vast majority of items taken have been left unsecured and in plain view in dorms and offices."
Sexual offenses
The report said there were 10 forcible sexual offenses in 2008, compared with 12 in 2007, and 10 in 2006. The category includes any sexual act directed against another person, forcibly or against their will, including rape, sodomy, sexual assault with an object and fondling.
Wilson warned that the actual number of forcible sexual offenses could be higher, because the statistics do not include confidential information reported to campus clergy, to the University Ombuds, to Counseling and Psychological Services staff at Vaden Health Center or to staff at the YWCA Sexual Assault Center at Stanford. She noted that sexual assault tends to be an underreported crime.
Drug and alcohol arrests
She also said that the number of arrests for breaking alcohol and drug laws do not reflect the actual number of violations on campus.
In 2008, police made 62 arrests for underage drinking and other violations of liquor laws, compared with 81 in 2007, and 41 in 2006, the report said. Driving under the influence and public drunkenness violations are excluded. The numbers include arrests of students and non-students.
Last year, police arrested 50 people, including students and non-students, for violating drug laws, compared with 35 in 2007, and 43 in 2006.
"Over the last several years, we have seen an increase in the number of people smoking marijuana," Wilson said. "That increase is not necessarily reflected in the number of arrests."
The statistics are based on reports from campus police and security officials, deans and other senior student administrative staff, coaches, residence hall staff, people who oversee and advise student clubs and organizations, and other campus officials who have significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including student housing, student discipline and campus judicial proceedings.