By RAY SMITH ([email protected])

The Allegheny College Office of Safety and Security released the 2008 Annual Security report during the month of October. The report, released every fall, keeps track of the crimes, arrests and disciplinary referrals as well as defining different offenses. The report also gives students guidelines on what to do if they are a victim of a crime.

According to the report, disciplinary referrals have risen from 146 in 2006 to 253 referrals in 2008. Ken Kensill, Director of Safety and Security, credits the rise in arrests to departmental improvements.

“We have better enforcement [since 2006],” Kensill said. “We didn’t have a full complement of officers; also, residence life is doing a much better job.”

In 2008, there were 217 liquor law violations on campus and 20 violations off campus. The referrals occur off campus when city police does not make an arrest, but rather informs security about the problem. This number is a rise from the 206 on campus violations in 2007, and a large increase from the 133 alcohol on campus violations.

Although this number may seem large, it’s only a fraction of the 3,002 on-campus alcohol violations 45 schools of Allegheny’s size collectively committed in 2007, according to the US Department of Education Campus Security Data Analysis tool.

Drug related offenses have almost doubled every year since 2006. The 2006 report noted four on-campus drug related referrals. Then, in 2007, there were eight on-campus drug violations and two off-campus, while 2008 saw 14 on-campus violations and two off-campus referrals.

The report also shows that one weapons violation occurred on campus in 2006, but none have happened since.

However, crime is not the only duty that security deals with, and the reports reflect mostly what happens at night.

“We are just as busy during the day as at night,” Kensill said.

“There are just different things. In the day we do medical escorts, driving instructions and dealing with access control.”

The night is when the majority of the liquor and drug violations occur, potentially because of the increased number of parties at night.

“At night, we primarily deal with student issues,” Kensill said.

The log is based on crimes occurring from October to October in a calendar year, not in an academic year. For example, next year’s crime log will show a large number of thefts because of a string of robberies in the Wise Center last spring.

In addition to seeing weekly crime logs, students interested in reading the full security report can find copies in the Office of Safety and Security.