On-campus drug law violations more than tripled, and alcohol law violations increased by nearly 40 percent in 2011, according to a report issued by the Duke University Police Department.
The 2012-2013 Annual Clery Security Report includes statistics from the previous three years concerning reported crimes on campus, including alcohol and drug use, robbery, burglary, drug arrests and sexual assaults. There were marked increases in the numbers of liquor law and alcohol law violations referred for disciplinary action, but offenses such as forcible sex, illegal weapons possession arrests and motor vehicle theft have declined from 2010 to 2011.
A total of 626 liquor law violations were referred for disciplinary action on campus in 2011, an increase from 452 in 2010 and 423 in 2009. A similar spike was found in drug law violations—110 incidents were reported in 2011, compared to 34 and 36 reports from 2010 and 2009, respectively.
“One of the things important to understand is that the report is not by any means a police report, it’s really an institution-wide report,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration. “There’s been better training and better information collection systems that allow us to be more accurate with those numbers.”
Cavanaugh’s role includes overseeing emergency coordination and DUPD. DUPD Chief John Dailey deferred comment to Cavanaugh.
The security report is mandated by the Clery Act, which requires universities to publish and distribute safety reports to students and employees by October 1 of each year. DUPD also released information regarding fire safety, as required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act.
The report includes reported incidents in the health system campuses, such as Duke University Hospital, satellite facilities and Duke Forest.
Cavanaugh also noted that the statistical analysis is important, but there are other factors to consider when evaluating the annual figures. He added that overall, Duke is a safe campus, but constant vigilance is needed to make sure the University remains a safe place for students.
“There’s been consistent improvement in providing as safe an environment as possible,” Cavanaugh said. “We’re all in this together and we have to collectively be as aware and proactive as we can to continue to look out for each other and provide a safe environment.”
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