Crime on Temple’s Main Campus declined during fall semester

Reports of burglaries and fondling decreased while reports of robberies off campus increased.

An employee sits inside of a Campus Police office on Montgomery and 12th streets on Nov. 7. | COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Clery crimes, which include violent crimes, sex crimes and theft-related crimes, among others, reported to Temple University Police from Aug. 26 to Oct. 31 declined by 27.8 percent on Main Campus in comparison to the same period in 2018, according to TUPD data.

Similarly, from 2017-18, reports of Clery crimes decreased by 32.7 percent, according to the university’s annual security and fire safety report.

On-campus Clery crimes reported to TUPD decreased due to a sharp decline in burglaries, while off-campus, they slightly increased as a result of a rise in reported robberies and motor vehicle thefts.

TUPD added more patrols off-campus as a result of increased robberies in public areas this year, which rose from four to seven during the Aug. 26 to Oct. 31 period from 2018-19, said Charlie Leone, director of campus safety services.

So far, no patterns have emerged in the robberies this year, Leone added.

Most of the on-campus burglaries reported during Fall 2018 occurred in the Beasley School of Law, Leone said. TUPD suspected that someone at the university was stealing from staff people’s offices, Leone said, but the burglaries stopped after TUPD began investigating, which explains the decrease from 2018 to 2019.

Reports of fondling also decreased from four to one during the Aug. 26 to Oct. 31 period from 2018-19. This change was due in part to increased TUPD patrols aimed at reducing incidents in which teenagers on bicycles touched women on the street, Leone said.

One rape and one aggravated assault were reported to TUPD during the Aug. 26 to Oct. 31 period in 2019.  

In general, crime rates are the highest during late September and early October, as students are getting more comfortable with their surroundings and the daylight hours grow shorter, Leone said.

Students should plan their routes when walking on the street and should not shy away from using Temple’s walking escort service, even if they are intoxicated, Leone said.

Students can request a walking escort from a security guide by calling 215-777-9255 daily from 4 p.m. to 6 a.m.

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