Duke Releases Annual Clery Security Report

The annual crime
report for Duke shows slight decreases in most reported offenses from 2009 to
2010, but university officials continue to urge students, faculty and staff to
partner with police to help deter crime.

The Annual Campus
Security Report, released Wednesday by the university, shows decreases in
reports of forcible sex offenses and robbery, among other offenses tracked for
the report. The report includes reported incidents by Duke community members
and the public in the academic and health system campuses, as well as satellite
facilities and Duke Forest.

"For as large as Duke is and with the number of
people and the amount of activity we have on campus and the health system,
these statistics really point to the fact that Duke is a safe place," said John
Dailey, chief of the Duke University Police Department. "We depend on our community to take actions to
reduce the possibility of crime and to continue to report suspicious behaviors
and concerns to us so we can work together to maintain this level of safety."

The Annual Campus
Security Report is mandated by the federal Clery Act, which
requires universities to publish an annual report disclosing campus
security policies and three years worth of selected crime statistics based upon definitions
and parameters supplied under the Clery Act.
The report also includes information about Duke's emergency notification and
response and evacuation procedures, as well as fire safety information.

While most reported
offenses for the report fell, incidents of motor vehicle theft rose from 14 to 15
in 2010. Duke also recorded one offense in the murder/manslaughter category last
year: A Duke employee was fatally shot in a domestic-related incident at a Duke
clinic on North Duke Street in Durham.

Reported forcible sex
offenses are among the incidents with a slight decrease, from 13 to 12 in 2010.
The sex offense category represents a range of illegal behavior from
inappropriate touching to rape. Dailey said that in 11 of the 12 cases, the suspects and victims were acquaintances;
10 cases involved students and six cases involved inappropriate touching.

In 2009, a new policy
for reporting sex offenses was enacted at Duke. The policy says that any
university official informed of an allegation of sexual misconduct involving a
student is expected to file a report with the Office of Student Conduct.

"Sexual offenses across
communities are known to be underreported," Dailey said. "We continue to
encourage our community to seek help and resources and to make reports to
police, the women's center, the Office of Student Conduct or the Office for
Institutional Equity."

Also according to the annual
report, the number of robberies fell from seven to three in 2010. All robberies
occurred on campus and involved student victims. "Two cases were committed on
the same night by the same suspects, and the suspects were arrested close to
the scene," Dailey said.

"We want people to
continue to use good judgment and common sense to help prevent robberies, which
can be crimes of opportunity," he said. "When it's late at night, use Duke
transit or Duke Vans and travel with others."

Kyle Cavanaugh, vice
president for administration and Duke's emergency coordinator, encouraged
community members to review the annual report and Duke's crime prevention suggestions.

"The overall safety of our
students, faculty, staff and visitors remains our highest priority," Cavanaugh
said. "Although we continue to experience a relatively safe environment, it's
incumbent upon each of us to keep safety in the forefront of our thoughts."