The Oakland University Police Department has released its annual Safety and Security Report for 2011. The report details the amount of crime, injuries, fires and other incidents on campus for the previous year.

“Statistics are important to us,”  OUPD Chief Samuel Lucido said. “There’s a dark figure out there of unreported crime.”

Lucido said based on statistics from previous years, Hamlin and Vandenberg Halls both received upgraded locking systems. According to Lucido, there were zero cases of larceny in September 2012, down from three in September 2011.

“Larceny is always our biggest problem on campus,”  Lucido said.

According to Lucido, students can avoid being victims of larceny by keeping dormitory rooms locked and not leaving valuables unattended in common areas.

According to the document, reported substance violations increased in 2011. The year’s report contained 22 liquor law violations and 15 drug law violations, up from 2010’s report of 18 liquor violations and three drug violations.

“Last year we took more of a proactive approach to enforcement,” OUPD Captain Mark Gordon said. “So the fact that we’re being more proactive leads to more arrests, which increases your stats.”

Three forcible sex offenses were reported within the campus residence halls. This number is down from 2010, which had five forcible and one non-forcible sex offense.

Reports of on-campus robbery, burglary, aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft all increased from 2010. Non-campus offenses were down across the board from last year. One motor vehicle theft was reported in 2011, down from seven in 2010.

No “hate offenses” were reported in 2011.

Three fires were reported in the campus residence halls during 2011, and all were unintentional. Two happened in the Ann V. Nicholson Student Apartments, both cooking-related, causing between $0-99 in damages. One happened in a sorority cottage on Greek Row, also cooking related, with no monetary damages.

Auburn Hills Fire Department Chief John Burmeister said these incidents were generally referred to as “careless cooks” by the department.

“Our tactics and procedures are about the same (as serving the community),” Burmeister said. “We have more of a concern with the volume of people in the dorms.”

According to Lucido, campus crime statistics are down so far in 2012 as opposed to 2011.

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