VALDOSTA — Burglaries are the highest reported crimes committed on the campus of Valdosta State University, according to the Clery Report released this month.

The Clery Report gave statistics for crimes committed between Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017, with burglary being the most prevalent crime at VSU all three years: 13 in 2015, 11 in 2016 and 10 in 2017.

“It’s a common trend across college campuses,” said Alan Rowe, VSU chief of police. “The people that commit that type of crime know campuses have a more trusting population, and it’s a little less life-experienced population, so they don’t guard their property quite as well.”

Its peer institutions, Georgia Southern University and Kennesaw State University, also released their Clery Reports, with the former having four burglaries reported in 2017 and the latter having eight the same year.

Though two less motor vehicle thefts occurred last year than in 2016, there were also more motor vehicle thefts on the VSU campus — three reported — in 2017 than at its peer institutions. There were none reported at GSU and one at KSU.

Compared to its peer institutions, VSU had a lower number of sexual assaults and rapes being reported in 2017 with one rape, one instance of fondling and one anonymous report of sexual assault. The 2017 sexual assault reports were also down compared to 2016 and 2015.  

GSU had eight total rapes and seven instances of fondling reported, while KSU reported eight rapes and one instance of fondling.

Jacob Bell, VSU Student Government Association president, said safety is a top priority in his administration and something he hears often from other peers. 

In the two-and-a-half years he’s attended VSU, he has never felt unsafe walking around campus.

“I have frequent conversations with other students here at VSU regarding campus safety, and they most often report feeling safe and comfortable here,” Bell said. “In the two-and-a-half years I’ve been at VSU, the student-police relationship has continually improved and safety-related services have continually increased.”

Rowe said VSU police use several programs to protect students on and off campus, including 800 security cameras, a 365-days-a-year escort system and even an app.

Students can request an officer to walk with them any time or day using the escort system, or they can use the app, Blazer Guardian, to set a timer on their walk. If the timer goes off without the student disabling it, the police can track the location of the phone.

“Keep in mind, we do not have a gate around this place. Anybody can come on campus,” Rowe said. “You do get a sense of security here with the police department, security cameras and programs.”

VSU had a higher number of liquor law violation arrests than its peer institutions at 17 and illegal weapon possession arrests at four. GSU had 16 and one, and KSU had 11 and two, respectively.

However, drug abuse violation arrests were low for VSU at 35, with GSU’s at 72 and KSU’s at 39.

VSU is down in drug abuse violation arrests from 58 in 2015 and 36 in 2016 and liquor law violation arrests from 60 in 2015.

VSU saw a decrease in disciplinary referrals across the board: liquor law violations, drug abuse violations and illegal weapons possession. The Clery Report revealed 2017 had 45 referrals related to liquor, 23 for drugs and one for weapons.

There was a slight increase in illegal weapons possession arrests in 2017 at four. Three were reported in 2016, and 2015 saw one arrest.

To keep arrests and referrals low, Rowe said it’s important to build strong police-student relationships across VSU’s campus.

Specifically, he said, the department hires police officers who have the personality to not only police, but to be an academic and life support to students.

“In Georgia within the university system, we’ve been leaps and bounds ahead with university policing,” Rowe said. “We have a different clientele and mission. We are here for graduation, not just policing, and we truly see ourselves as an academic and life support for them.”

Katelyn Umholtz is a reporter with the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256.