imes. Usually, both victim and victimizer have been drinking” (Tritch 32).
Many law enforcement experts and academics argue that the self-reporting statistics on crime by colleges and universities are suspect. Some colleges only report crimes committed by students, even though all campus personnel including deans and coaches must be included under federal law. Other colleges only report crimes that are reported to campus police and not city police. One critic of the database of crime statistics notes, “Differences in schools’ interpretation of the reporting requirements means that the information may not allow for direct comparison” (Dorgan 1).
David A. Bergeron is the chief of police and budget development at the U.S. Department of Education. He also feels that there are flaws in the current method of reporting crime statistics, but vows his agency will act as a watchdog over those colleges and universities reporting, “Differences in reporting systems may be problematic, but the department will use its authority to do reviews of institutions that misrepresent themselves” (Dorgan 1).
Despite such statistics being available, many students are the victims of crime on U.S. campuses. In July of 2001, the California State University published its Annual Report of Crime Statistics that showed an increase in both Part I (violent crimes) and Part II (non-violent crimes) by 3.8% and 6% respectively (Christensen 1). At the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG), sworn police forces patrol campus and carry guns. They have confiscated guns, investigated murders, and extradited a criminal in recent years. As Major Jamie Herring, assistant chief of UNCG public safety and police, says, “It’s as dangerous as any other law enforcement job. We arrest rapists and robbers. A&T has guns for a reason. We confiscated guns for a reason” (Foreman B1).
Because of the number and variety of crimes being commit...