By Ray Dillon

Although there are more than 220 “incidents” recorded in the University of Louisville’s Department of Public Safety online crime log since Jan. 1, the opinion of both students and DPS staff seems to be that the campus is generally safe.

“It’s a pretty safe campus,” said sophomore Dina Kulenovic, a psychology major. “I mean, every now and then you hear stuff about someone being held up off campus, or that someone had something stolen when they were in the library or something, but I don’t feel unsafe here. Things like that are more the exception than the norm.”

Since Jan. 1, there have been 102 reports of thefts or mislaid property over and under $300; three reports of assaults or robberies; 31 incidents of harassment or physical threatening; nine reports of hit and run; 15 reports of automotive break-ins; 17 incidents involving drugs or alcohol; and 46 other incidents of various criminal mischief, vandalism, etc.

Sergeant Joseph Dittman of DPS said that while the incidents may seem high in number, the incidents range from the theft of a cell phone, which is categorized as a theft under $300, to damage to a parked car, which is classified as a hit and run on the crime log. Squabbles between lovers or friends are logged as harassment or terroristic threatening.

But that is not to say that there have never been major incidents on campus. As covered by The Cardinal this semester, there have been five major incidents of campus crime involving U of L students.

Attempted rape

On Mar. 2, as she was returning to her residence late at night, an alleged female victim was forcibly taken from the front porch of her residence and dragged to a side yard between Bradley and Brandeis Avenues. According to DPS, her alleged attacker choked her and removed her pants as well as his own. Fortunately, the alleged victim was able to talk her attacker out of raping her and he fled into the night.

Group robbery

Throughout the semester, there were three separate incidents where a group of three or more people attacked individual U of L students off and on campus and robbed them. No links between incidents or pattern of attacks were reported.

Computer theft

Property of the university was also a target . In April, DPS arrested Speed School of Engineering student Nick Tisdale and Bellarmine University student Matt Frisch in connection with allegedly stealing $50,000 in computer equipment from U of L over a span of several months.

Bomb threats and hoaxes

James Armond Huber, the 20-year-old sophomore from Clarksville, Ind., who in the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, was arrested and charged with a felony for allegedly conveying false information about a bomb threat on campus. Huber had e-mailed himself a bomb threat then reported it to DPS.

During the same week, numerous telephone bomb threats and even suspicious packages that turned out to be bricks made to look like bombs popped up on campus at the Miller Information Technology Center and the Ekstrom Library. Huber was not connected to the “hoax bombs” the FBI and University Police investigated.

“You don’t really hear about security concerns here, I mean it’s a college campus, who expects anything like that to really happen?” said junior Hemali Patel, whose boyfriend is a Virginia Tech student. “Then you have something happen like what happened at Virginia Tech, and you start to feel a little different.”

Dittman said incidents like these serve to remind us to be vigilant.

Dittman admitted DPS could not be prepared for every possible scenario, and that if someone wants to do something, they will find a way. But he stressed that above all, “knowledge and vigilance are the most important factors to creating a safe university community. People need to know that if there’s any suspicious activity, they need to report it to us as soon as possible.”

“Security seems adequate. I really don’t notice it I guess,” said senior Garrett Wilkerson, a biology and chemistry major. “I do think the Segues are a bit of a waste of security funds, but it’s not too bad around here.”

DPS advice

When asked what advice he’d offer to incoming students, Dittman said to always try to walk in groups of three or more at night if possible or utilize the DPS escort service by calling 852-6111.

He said that many thefts cases DPS deals with are due to carelessness, citing people who leave their belongings unattended and or exposed.