Daily Egyptian Spring 04
Spring '04 Edition
SIUC ranks second highest in crime rates
Bethany Krajelis
Daily EgyptianIllinois State Police Uniform Crime Report
SIUC:
Reported crimes in 2002: 471
Reported crimes in 2001: 369
Jackson County:
Reported crimes in 2003: 473
Reported crimes in 2002: 363
While Jackson County's crime rates have increased 30 percent from 2002 to 2003, SIUC's crime rate ranks second highest in the state among public universities.
According to figures listed in last year's Uniform Crime Report, 471 crimes were reported in 2002, which is 102 more crimes from 2001.
The report is published by the Illinois State Police, who receive numbers from every county, city and agency in the state.
The report lists the total crime index, which includes the number of murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and battery, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson crimes.
SIU Police Capt. Todd Sigler declined to comment on the crime rate increase, and University spokeswoman Sue Davis could not be reached for comment.
Even though the total crime index decreased by 7.9 percent from 2001 to 2002 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the university still ranks highest in the state with 644 crimes reported.
Regardless of the fact that SIUC has less total crimes reported than UIC, the number of violent crimes, which include criminal sexual assaults, robberies and aggravated assaults and battery, towers over that of the Chicago university.
The number of criminal sexual assaults reported at SIUC increased from one case reported in 2001 to eight cases reported in 2002. Only one criminal sexual assault was reported at UIC for each of those years.
The highest number of crimes reported on the SIUC campus was theft. In 2002, 372 cases of theft were reported, with an increase from the 297 cases reported in 2001.
The enrollment figure for SIUC as of fall 2003 was 21,387, while UIC enrollment for the same year was slightly larger at 25,228.
The Uniform Crime Report does not take university population into account when recording offenses because some students live on campus while others commute.
In addition to rising crime rates on campus, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department jumped from 363 reported crimes to 473 reported crimes from 2002 to 2003. That figure is the largest number of reported crimes reported since 1998.
According to Sheriff Robert Burns, Jackson County does have a significant amount of crime occurring, but he said the problem of understaffing is not helping to decrease crime rates.
"The nationwide ratio of county officers to 1,000 inhabitants is 2.7," Burns said, "and the Jackson County ratio is .37. There's no question about it; we are understaffed."
The department employs 22 officers, who have to cover the entire 588 square miles of Jackson County and more than 11,000 miles in various types of roadways.
Even though Jackson County is larger than the SIUC campus, there are 37 police officers working for the University Police.
Burns said the public safety tax proposed at the primary election Tuesday would have generated $927,000, which would have been used to hire six uniform personnel, one investigator, four jail officers and one part-time civil process server.
Sixty-eight percent of Jackson County voters voted the proposed tax increase down Tuesday.
According to the sheriff, the money generated from the public safety tax would have provided additional staff to help with theft and burglary, which are the most prevalent crimes being reported in Jackson County.
Burns said 258 theft cases were reported in 2003, which is higher than the 190 thefts reported in 2002.
Burglary reports jumped from 107 cases in 2002 to 132 burglaries reported in 2003.
According to Burns, burglary and theft are not uncommon crimes to be reported, especially over breaks when students are not home. He said Jackson County residents could call the sheriff's department and ask police to watch residences while out of town.
"We will do it, but with the staff being stretched so thin, it becomes difficult to do," Burns said, "but we will still attempt to provide the service."
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Last update: Friday, March 19, 2004 at 6:37:33 PM
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