UB a safe campus, Palmer tells FSEC

Robert L. Palmer Jr., vice president for student affairs, said a "strict interpretation" of crime reporting by the university led to UB being ranked 11th among nearly 500 colleges and universities in the number of burglaries committed on campus during 1995 in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The story reported 10 categories of crime statistics that institutions are required to report to the federal government. UB reported 220 burglaries, 24 motor-vehicle thefts, 19 aggravated assaults and 7 robberies.

"We know that what we report as burglaries at other institutions would be categorized as larcenies," Palmer told faculty members, noting while UB reported 220 burglaries, Buffalo State College only reported 40. "Now logic should tell you that that's too great a disparity," he said.

When looking at property crime-burglary, motor-vehicle theft, larceny, theft and arson-at 22 AAU schools, UB falls in the middle of the pack, ranking ninth, he said.

"We are a safe campus; we are a well-protected campus and we'll continue to be one."

John Grela, director of public safety, noted that UB public safety is an aggressive department that has persuaded members of the campus community that it is "better to report (crime) than not." Moreover, the department has chosen to report crime statistics with a "very strict interpretation of what the statutes are and what are required by the FBI, New York State law and the federal Education Department," he said.

"When you look at all the numbers (for all crimes) and compare those to other campuses, we're very safe," Grela said.

Palmer said that if someone entered an unlocked dorm room at UB and took three compact discs, it would be reported as a burglary. "Now you tell me that those types of things don't happen all over," he added. "With a less strict interpretation, we could report that as a larceny or a petit larceny."

Palmer criticized The Buffalo News for a story about crime at UB that was based on the article in the Chronicle, but focused only on burglaries. He said The News focused on the one category "that puts UB in the most negative light, which gives an inaccurate picture of the safety and quality of life at UB."

Palmer and Grela emphasized that UB is safer that the surrounding community, both Buffalo and Amherst, named the safest city in the country by Money magazine.