by Oscar de León
Staff Writer
The University of La Verne campus safety department recently published its annual report about crime on campus during the past three years.
According to the annual security report, there have been two minor weapon violations involving knives found in the dorms.
Liquor law violations have also been common, according to the report.
“The Jeanne Clery Law requires us [the University] to publish statistics about crimes that occur on campus,” said John Lentz, director of campus safety.
According to Security on Campus, Inc.’s web site, the Jeanne Clery Act was made into a law in 1990.
This happened after Jeanne Clery, a student from Lehigh University of Pennsylvania, daughter of Howard and Connie Clery, was murdered in 1986.
The other 13 ULV campuses in other locations like Orange County, Ventura County and San Fernando are included.
Lentz added that he turns in the reports every year in October. Each of these reports contains reports from the year before.
Lentz said that the report focuses on cases that have happened over a period of three years.
“The report gives notice to students if there is a trend of crimes such as break-ins and burglaries. It also warns them if there is a dangerous individual who lives around campus,” Lentz said.
“One example would be a college stalker from last year. Cal Poly Pomona sent the notice to us. Even though it was far from our campus, we still warned our students, so that they would be aware,” he said.
“We just have to increase vigilance,” Lentz said, adding that one of the reasons liquor is an issue is because new students are in the stage of experimenting.
“Our biggest crime is theft,” Lentz said.
The only solution, Lentz said, is to give information on how to protect oneself and “hardening the target.”
This involves not leaving personal belongings of high value inside cars.
According to the report, the ULV main campus has a larger number of crimes than other ULV campuses. Lentz said this is because ULV’s main campus is the largest.
This is in contrast to other campuses that have either one building, or a few departments inside a building.
Additionally, other campuses have adult students and working professionals, which is why there is not as much crime compared to ULV’s main campus, he said.
The annual security report booklet can be obtained at the campus safety department, which is next to the ULV Graphics office.
For more information, students can also visit the web site, http://www.ulv.edu/security.
“I hope that everybody reads the web site because it contains more detailed information about the crime cases, important emergency numbers and other information that won’t be found in the booklet,” Lentz said.
For more information locally, call Lentz at extension 4949.
Journalism operations manager at the University of La Verne. Production manager and business manager of the Campus Times.