The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Though there were SLU students occupying the apartments and between 20,000 and 30,000 people utilizing SLU's facilities for the St. Louis "First Night" celebration in Grand Center, the Department of Public Safety reported no disturbances on campus over winter break.

"The campus was very quiet with the students. We had no reported criminal activity or alcohol-related conflicts," said Jack Titone, director of the Department of Public Safety.

The hush on campus over winter break reflects a similar trend for the year of 2004, as DPS reported only 31 part-one crimes, a 17-crime reduction from the 48 part-one offenses in 2003. DPS attributes the decrease in part-one crimes to their hard work ethic and wider student awareness of safety issues.

"It was a great year for us. Anytime you can go with a 35-percent reduction in crime, it is remarkable. It can be attributed to the hard work of our forces, as well as the students taking a greater ownership over their own safety," said Titone.

A major problem faced by SLU in 2003 was automobile-related thefts and break-ins. Some changes in DPS in 2004 that aided with the security of the campus, especially the parking garages, were the addition of more patrol officers in parking garages, and the discounted sales of the Club, as well as nearly 100 educational seminars offered by DPS.

By upping the number of officers posted in the parking garages, DPS was able to prevent crimes before they occurred.

The Club is also a tool that DPS has used to secure the automobiles of everyone on campus. With 1,500 already sold, DPS continues to urge students and faculty to invest $10 in the Club, which is normally sold for $35-40, to insure the safety of their automobiles. Sales take place Mon. through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the DPS office in DuBourg Hall.

For 2005, DPS will attempt to focus their efforts on student-against-student crimes, which comprise the majority of crimes reported on campus. Students failing to lock their doors or who leave doors propped open when they are not in their rooms have resulted in an increased number of thefts on campus.

DPS plans on continuing their education programs in order to further student awareness of such crimes.

"We'll continue to resolve these problems through education. We offer hundreds of seminars to students, because they need to understand that even if they trust their neighbors and roommates, they have to be aware of strangers that come into their buildings," Titone said.

The educational seminars offered throughout the year by DPS vary in topic from safety in the residence halls to avoiding sexual predators and date rape.

At the DPS website, http://www.dps.slu.edu, one can also read about crime alerts on campus and some basic safety tips.

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