Photo of recent act of vandalism on Bradley’Campus
The fight against crime continues to be a battle for Peoria residents and for Bradley students but there is one particular type of crime that has become more prevalent in the past few years than ever. Property crime.
The violations include things such as theft, robbery, and vandalism, all ranking in as the top offenses in the area. According to the FBI’s 2011 uniform crime reports, the total number of property crimes in Peoria County alone ranked in at 5,438.
Although Peoria has a high rate of violent crime, the 814 offenses reported for 2011 are considerably low, compared to the 453 instances of property crime that occurred each month during that same year. However when the number from the city of Peoria is combined with those numbers of surrounding counties it exceeds 14,000.
These alarming numbers could have put any city on edge but as Peoria welcomes thousands of new and returning college students into the area each year, reputation becomes a big issue but even more important of an issue, safety.
Bradley student, Markist Booker explained, “Living here can be scary sometimes, you never know what will happen from day to day.” This seems to be a harsh reality that all students who live in the Peoria area have to face.
Since the revealing of these numbers, Peoria County and Bradley University have worked to ensure that the numbers change for the better. Those changes started with pinpointing where these crimes were happening and how they could be stopped.
For example, many students live off campus. Sometimes these individuals have homes that are two or three blocks away, which can make them an easy target for theft.
Bradley, in alliance with the police department took precautions. They first established the campus cruiser, this new resource was put in place to ensure that students who live off campus can get home safely. The university also makes sure that certain areas of campus are well lit such as the walk way leading onto the street in front of the Hayden- Clark Alumni center. Police have even taken action by actively patrolling in different areas on and off campus.
Because of these efforts, the numbers that Peoria once had have taken a significant plunge. In a more recent crime report conducted by the FBI, in 2012 alone the amount of offenses has decreased by 82 percent.
Booker went on to say, “Things aren’t nearly as bad as they used to be but if Bradley wants to keep pulling in students and Peoria wants to be a better city, both parties have a lot more to do.”
link to online database: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/table-6