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Southern U. Records Drop in Campus Crime

By James Turner
Black College Wire

Photo credit: Joshua L. Halley/Southern Digest Chancellor Edward Jackson looks on as Col. Terry Landry, Southern University Police Department interim chief, discusses Sept. 9 shooting off campus.

Between 2004 and 2005, the number of crimes committed on the campus of Southern University Baton Rouge has decreased, according to statistics from the university's police department.

"I think it is a combination of students being aware of what is going on, and you can also [attribute] it to the police officers," said Terry Landry, interim chief of the campus police department. "I also believe that the administration is playing a major role in the reduction of crime.

"They too want to see crime decrease on campus," Landry said.

University police officials say many factors could be contributing to the decrease, including stricter admission standards this semester.

"The requirements should continue to go up to better the university," so that they may "weed out people that should not be here," said Dionne Allen, a senior psychology major from Laplace, La. "It will also challenge future black college students."

According to the report, theft has always been one of the most frequently committed crimes on campus, but it, too, experienced a significant decline.

In 2004, there were 138 reported cases of theft, compared with 36 reported cases in 2005, the report said.

Landry said the increase in security, on and off campus, helped to minimize the number of reported cases of marijuana possession, which the report said experienced an 11 percent drop.

Simple assault is also down by 50 percent, and armed robbery took a 57 percent decline, the report said.

"We are increasing the number of officers," Landry said, referring to additions who began campus duty Sept. 11.

"We are currently interviewing for quality and professional police who want to serve the campus," Landry said. "Someone who really wants to make a difference."

Other factors police say have helped reduce campus crime include night vision cameras, call boxes and other increased security measures.

James Turner, a student at Southern University, writes for the Southern Digest.

Posted Sept. 25, 2006