As the end of the school year approaches, UNA Police are looking to implement preventive measures to decrease the number of thefts, burglaries, harassment cases and other campus crimes in the future.

Petty thefts and burglaries, which most often include breaking into students’ vehicles or rooms in the residence halls, were the most prevalent crimes on campus during the last nine months, according to UNA police Chief Bob Pastula and David Shields, vice president of Student Affairs. Officials also saw a spike in the number of marijuana, harassment, possession of weapons and minor in possession of alcohol incidents this year.

Pastula said a large number of the theft cases occurred in the campus parking garage or Collier Library, where students either left their vehicle doors unlocked or their book bags or purses open. UNA Police have put up posters and sent campus-wide e-mails warning students to exercise caution with their valuables.

“The increase in thefts may be a sign of the times,” Shields said. “As things get tough, people sometimes get desperate.”

Police have noticed a rise in marijuana-related incidents in the residence halls this year, which Shields said the university has dealt with either through arrests and/or the Code of Conduct. The presence of weapons at UNA, including guns, an ax and sword, was also higher than normal.

“If we catch a student committing a crime on campus, we are going to prosecute them to the fullest extent,” Pastula said. “We are not going to tolerate that kind of activity on campus.”

UNA currently offers services like the Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol, rape defense training, Lion Alert notifications and the option to be a silent witness to make the campus safer.

Next month, UNA Police will relocate their office to the basement of Keller Hall, which will keep patrol officers at a more centralized location on campus. Pastula said they will also build new police substations at the UNA East Campus and Rice and Rivers halls in the near future.

The new police station at Keller Hall will have a 24/7 communication center, which students, faculty or staff can use at any time to report suspicious activity or ask questions. As grants become available, UNA Police will also work to install actively monitored security cameras on campus and in the parking garage to crack down on theft and other crimes.

“I don’t feel safe in the parking deck especially because there’s no cameras,” said UNA junior Selena Springer. “I’ve had several friends who have had their cars broken into there and there was nothing the police could do about it because there were no cameras there to prove what happened.”

Ella Stone, a first-year graduate student, takes mostly night classes and will not park in the parking garage because of safety issues.

“I try to park as close as possible to the building where my class is,” she said. “I don’t see a lot of police officers out on the campus at night and that’s a concern. I don’t expect that anything will happen, but it’s always a possibility. This is a small town, but crime can happen anywhere.”

Shields and Pastula said students should use good personal safety habits in protecting themselves against dangerous situations on campus.

“Lock up your car, don’t leave your valuables unattended, use a buddy system and engrave your valuables,” Shields said. “Be careful of your surroundings. This is a safe campus and environment, but it’s not a crime-free community.”

The number of documented criminal incidents that occurred at UNA from August 2010 to April 2011 (as of April 27, 2011) are as follows:

Theft – 27

Auto Burglary – 22

Harassment – 9

Criminal Mischief – 7

Drug Possession – 6

Domestic Violence – 4

Minor in Possession – 4

Public Intoxication/Lewdness – 3

Assault – 3

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – 2

Auto Theft – 2

Drugs/Harassment – 2

Criminal Trespass – 2

Credit Card Fraud – 2

Robbery – 2

2nd degree Rape – 1

Menacing – 1

Disorderly Conduct – 1

Forgery – 1

Terrorist Threat – 1