By Eli Hughes–

The University of Louisville Police Department has reported higher rates of crime over the past year than usual. These increases in crime seem to be especially affecting the campus-affiliated apartment buildings: The Province, The Retreat, The Nine and The Clubhouse.

“Efforts are underway to increase police officer presence with the primary goal of reducing potential crime,” ULPD Chief Gary Lewis said. “There have been a number of successful apprehensions of suspects following these incidents based upon the due diligence of marked patrol cruisers and plain clothes detectives.”

From Oct. 2020 to Dec. 2020 there were a total of 60 crimes reported at these four properties combined. The building with the most reported crimes was The Clubhouse with 20 reported incidents over the course of the four months. The Retreat had the least reported incidents, with seven crimes reported over the three months.

The three most common incidents reported were theft, criminal mischief and domestic violence. Theft accounts for 16 of these reports, not including two incidents of burglary, four of robbery and one motor vehicle theft. Criminal mischief accounts for ten incidents and domestic violence accounts for nine.

All four of the affiliated properties were contacted for comment, but The Retreat, The Clubhouse and The Nine have not reached out as of the publishing of this article.

“We do not have any information other than what has been provided by the police,” Heather Hadden, general manager of The Province said.

The most recent incident at these properties was a robbery that occurred in the parking lot of The Province on Jan. 19. No Rave alert was sent out at the time but students received an email later that day informing them that a non-affiliates phone was stolen and she was assaulted with pepper spray before she was able to drive away and flag down a ULPD officer.

Lewis says he is not sure what the increase in crime can be attributed to, but he also says he is interested in evaluating the crime data from 2020 in order to find out and decide how to best address the problem.

In the meantime, Lewis had advice for students trying to stay safe on campus.

“We continue to remind students, faculty and staff not to engage in dialogue or conversation with unknown parties, especially during late-night hours, while also keeping all windows and doors locked,” Lewis said.

File Graphic//The Louisville Cardinal