Crime rates on the FAU campuses are decreasing every year, and with extra help from the Boca Raton Police Department, FAU’s surveillance is at the top of its game.
According to the 2008 Clery Report, an annual federal report documenting crimes on college campuses, crime has gone down significantly on the FAU Boca since 2006 in certain sections, such as sexual offenses and liquor law violations.
For the past 12 years, FAU has invested well over $1 million on security cameras for all campuses. According to Deputy Chief Keith Totten, that’s what “makes this campus unique.”
“We are still kind of at the mercy of the city,” said Totten, “[but] with the crime in the city going down, it’s natural that our crime goes down also.”
The Boca campus, which is approximately 850 acres, is prone to more crime than the other campuses located in smaller cities and smaller settings.
Because of the geographical differences, the Jupiter and Port St. Lucie campuses, for example, do not deal with as much crime.
The Clery Report shows the Jupiter campus having one reported burglary in 2006, two in 2007 and two in 2008.
“Whenever I go to visit my friends in the Jupiter campus, it never seems like anything even happens over there,” said Amanda Marckus, a junior multimedia journalism major. “It’s not like much happens here in Boca anyway, but Jupiter just seems a lot safer.”
FAU has been investing money in its security practices for the past 12 years, attempting to outfit each and every building with security cameras for the safety of the students and staff.
“The school has invested great amounts of money to make FAU a safe campus,” said Totten. “Most of the money comes directly from administration.”
The surveillance cameras have been of great help to the campuses and police departments.
The Clery Report shows sexual offenses going from seven in 2007 down to two in 2008, and liquor law violations going from 197 in 2006 to 63 in 2008.
“Sex offenders are the ones [who] terrify me the most,” said Lariza Mendoza, a junior intercultural communication major. “It always scares me to walk to my car alone at night, so this [report] makes me feel a lot safer.”
Still, Totten assured that the most common types of offenses on campus have been minor thefts.
“Textbooks and bicycles are the most common type of offenses,” said Totten.
The Clery Report shows burglary on the Boca campus going from 48 in 2006 to 44 in 2007, and down to 38 in 2008.
Even with all the extra security on campus, Totten still recommends students be careful and always call for help if they see anything suspicious.
“Always make sure your property is secure,” said Totten. “Be vigilant.”
To view to full Clery Report, visit www.fau.edu/police/clery.php.
Just in case you ever find yourself in a suspicious situation, call the campus police department right away:
Boca campus
(561) 297-3500
Port St. Lucie campus
(772) 873-3400 or
(772) 370-6854 (duty officer’s cell phone)
MacArthur campus
(561) 799-8700 or
(561) 399 0015 (duty officer’s cell phone)
Downtown Fort Lauderdale campus
(954) 762-5611
SeaTech campus
(954) 924-7000
Davie campus
(954) 475-6626
(954) 474-8786 (after hours)
Victim services for all campuses
(561) 297-0500
