The number of burglary and assault cases occurring on the University of Memphis decreased in 2013 compared to the two previous years, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's 2013 Crime on Campus report.
The report showed that there were only 18 burglaries on the U of M campus, which is more than a 50 percent drop from 2011. Assaults cases also declined by 35 percent since 2011.
One major factor in improving security is the increase of technology, said Deputy Director of Police Services Derek Myers.
"We have well over 600 cameras now," Myers said. "They have been instrumental in not only deterring crime and capturing suspects on film. We have actually had some people say, 'I didn't know there were cameras.' Well, we don't really hide them. They are everywhere."
Police Services investigates every case and prosecutes when it can, Myers said.
"We send a pretty strong message," Myers said. "We are not tolerant of criminal behavior out here. Basically, we take all investigations as far as we can."
Myers said by far the most common crime on campus was theft. There were 159 cases of larceny on the U of M campus in 2013-a decrease from the two previous years-but only 18.2 percent were cleared, according to the report.
"If we could just get students to be more aware of where they leave their stuff, we could cut incident rates by 50 percent," Myers said. "Book bags, laptops and iPads-students leave those unattended all the time."
The other half of calls Police Services responds to is a mixed bag of domestic violence and identity theft.
"Your personal information could be taken from anywhere but, if they report it here, it increases the U of M's incident rate," Myers said. "But we are more than happy to help. The campus has gotten a lot better about reporting incidents."
Despite the reported drop in crime, some students are surprised by the news.
"Memphis is not a safe city," logistics and marketing sophomore Dennis Good said. "I think crime statistics have proven that."
According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation's report on crime in 2013, Memphis had a higher rate of violent crime than any other city in Tennessee.
Good, who lives off campus, said he has never felt in danger at the U of M.
"There are a lot of police on campus, so they do a good job at that," he said. "I am also off campus by 2:30 p.m., so I am not here usually that late."
Lauran Myer, a freshman nutrition major who takes a couple of night classes, said she feels safe at the U of M most of the time but takes no chances.
"I don't lollygag when I am between buildings," she said. "Most of campus feels pretty safe, but there are a few dark allies that are kind of sketchy that I avoid."
