The University of Oregon Police Department responded to 700 crimes during winter term, according to the UOPD clery log.
That’s up from 678 reported crimes during fall term, but 56 were reported to the Office of the Dean of Students at the end of fall term. Another 17 of the crimes reported during winter term were reports by the Title IX coordinator that took place during fall term and over the summer.
UOPD didn’t identify any new trends in crime over the course of winter term, UOPD spokesperson Kelly McIver said.
The majority of the clery log entries, 462 of them, were low-level alcohol and drug violations that were reported but otherwise handled by the Office of the Dean of Students, McIver said.
More than 100 of the reports were closed after taking a report because there were no suspects.
“Unfortunately, especially with property cases, there’s often no more information that can drive a case,” McIver said. He said there’s not much UOPD can do in those cases, but they take a report that the victim can use for insurance purposes, and the UOPD can include it in their statistics for crime prevention.
Total theft decreased by 45 percent from fall term to winter term, from 123 total instances of theft listed during fall term to 63 instances in winter term, according to the clery log.
The decrease came mostly from bike and bike part thefts, which decreased 72 percent, from 53 incidents of bike or bike part theft in fall term to just 15 in winter term.
“There is a greater utilization of bikes during fall and spring,” said McIver. “That translates into fewer thefts [in winter term].”
McIver added that there’s a learning curve to bike theft prevention for students. “They absorb it more over the course of fall term,” he said.
DUII arrests and tickets increased 150 percent, from six in fall term to 15 in winter term. Ten of those DUIIs led to arrests in winter term, up from five in the fall.
UOPD uses federal grant money for dedicated DUII arrests every month, McIver said.
UOPD ended the term by bringing back the Vacation Watch program. McIver said 104 residents signed up to have their residence patrolled during spring break.
The vacation watch ended without any burglaries or other incidents. McIver said two registered residences were unlocked when checked, so officers contacted the residents and secured the homes.
The program was first introduced during winter break and nearly 300 students registered, according to Around the O. McIver attributed the drop in registration to fewer people going out of town for spring break than for winter break and a lower level of concern.
For spring break, UOPD partnered with the Campus Geographic Information System and Mapping Program to build an intake system to improve communication between students and officers. This is meant to help students and their roommates remember and use the vacation watch program. “People who signed up wouldn’t always remember,” said McIver.
McIver said the program is a deterrent to property crime. “I think it’s something the chief will want to bring back,” he said.
