January 15, 2004
Crime stats show campus is safe
The UW campus in Seattle remains a very safe place to work and to live, according to the most recent crime statistics.
The UW Police Department recently published its report for crimes in the year 2002. No extremely violent crimes — homicides, forcible or non-forcible sex offenses — occurred on campus in that year. The most common campus crime was theft, with 647 instances, down about 19 percent from the previous year. There were 134 burglaries, an increase of about 44 percent from 2001, and 44 simple assaults, up from 37 in 2001.
The Seattle Police Department reported two homicides and eight forcible rapes in 2002 in the census tracts surrounding the UW campus, the area generally described as the University District. In this area, there were 941 thefts, 45 robberies, 73 aggravated assaults, 243 burglaries and 215 motor vehicle thefts. There were six instances of arson and 155 simple assaults.
“While the campus itself remains a very safe place, all members of the community should remain vigilant, since this is the best way to prevent crime,” says UWPD chief Vicky Peltzer. “Vigilance is especially important off campus, where statistics show that the risk of crime is considerably greater.”
Complete crime statistics, including statistics for the University District, are available at http://www.washington.edu/admin/police. Also available on the site is a brochure, “What You Should Know About Campus Safety, Drugs and Alcohol,” produced by UWPD’s Crime Prevention Unit. For more information call 206-543-9338.
