Sex offenses are on the rise. Statutory rape, incest and forcible sex offenses grew two hundred percent last year at American River College.  Burglary inflated to 500 percent with zero judicial referrals, while aggravated assault is up two hundred percent and robbery increased 50 percent all of which have zero judicial referrals.

Fortunately, arson depleted to zero transgressions, and vehicle theft is down 39 percent. Also, no one got busted using their AK’s, so those were good days in 2011with zero arrests with illegal weapons. Drug law violations dropped 55 percent; however, seven out of the nine drug violations were referred to the judicial dean.

“Though petty theft is up, there is relatively a small amount of crime considering that there are about 32,000 people circulating through campus each day,” said Captain Chris Day of Los Rios Police Department. “Also, there is a brochure of safety tips found in our lobby, or tips can be found on our website.”

Theft is common on any campus and theft can be prevented. To prevent theft, never leave property unattended in any campus building or in your car and take all valuables with you. Also, keep your head up and don’t be afraid to make eye contact with people.

The Clery report is named after Jeanne Ann Clery, who was sexually assaulted and murdered in her dorm room in 1986 at Lehigh University Bethlehem, Penn. After the incident, Clery’s parents, Connie and Howard, discovered that over a three-year period there were 38 violent crimes that had been reported prior to Clery’s death.

As the Clerys mourned the death of their daughter they collated with Congress to enact the “Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990,” later renamed the “Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act Report,” and later summed up to what we know now as the “Clery Report.”

The law mandates that all colleges and universities must reveal public warning into the communities associated with college campuses regarding public safety.