Four Major Crime Trends At Indiana University

Ben Skirvin/ StateImpact Indiana

Not all of the crimes included in the report took place on the IU Campus. Some refer to crimes in the area of the university or crimes to which the Indiana University Police Department responded.

The disappearance of Lauren Spierer may have raised awareness of crime in Bloomington and on IU’s campus, but it is not the only incident of lawlessness at the school.

Indiana University issues an annual report detailing the number of reported crimes taking place throughout it’s network of campuses.  We’ll specifically focus on the major activity happening in Bloomington.

Sex Offenses- Forcible

Indiana University Bloomington saw a total of 32 reported incidents of forcible sex offenses last year. This is a decline of 23 incidents since 2009.  Various sources reported on several of these cases. This story from Wish TV 8 details the rape of an IU student at a fraternity.

The 19-year-old woman said the incident happened between 1:45 and 2:15 a.m. Saturday. She met two men at the fraternity house Friday night. She told IU Police about the rape about three hours after she said it happened.

Police did not release the name of the fraternity house where the rape was reported.

Rapes and sexual assaults are not just occurring at fraternities, but the Indiana Daily Student reports frat houses were the site of multiple incidents.

Burglary

There were 107 reported incidents of burglary on the IU Bloomington Campus last year.  This is an increase of 34 incidents over 2009.  According to the report, the majority of these cases involve theft from buildings on campus.  Unsurprisingly, dorms are the second most common site of burglaries.  Thefts and burglary are also a fairly common occurrence in the city of Bloomington generally.  The Bloomington Herald Times (pay wall) reported four jail bookings for theft last night alone.

Mary C. McDowell, 47, 4068 N. Brookwood Drive, arrested Wednesday by Ellettsville police on a preliminary charge of theft; booked into Monroe County Jail at 4:30 p.m. Bond set at $2,000 surety, $500 cash.

Terra N. Petty, 20, 5089 N. Lakeview Drive, arrested Wednesday by Bloomington police on a preliminary charge of theft; booked into Monroe County Jail at 7:05 p.m. Bond set at $2,000 surety, $500 cash.

William E. Stewart, 53, no permanent address, arrested Wednesday by Bloomington police on preliminary charges of theft and public intoxication; booked into Monroe County Jail at 7:40 p.m. Bond set at $4,000 surety, $500 cash.

Many of these cases do not involve violence, but some have been associated with vandalism of homes and vehicles.

Motor Vehicle Theft

There were nine reported incidents of car theft on the IU Bloomington Campus last year.  This is down from 11 incidents in 2009.  Many of these incidents involve alcohol consumption similar to this incident reported in the Bloomington Herald Times (Pay Wall).

Tanner Lee Wessell, 19, of 315 W. Gordon Pike, 209, arrested Sunday by Bloomington police on preliminary charges of theft (two counts), unlawful entry into a vehicle and illegal consumption; booked into Monroe County Jail at 4:20 a.m. Bond set at $2,000 surety, $500 cash.

Along with motor vehicle thefts, vandalism of cars is a major problem in Bloomington.  In July, there were six reported incidents of vehicle related vandalism in a single night.

Arson

There were four reported incidents of arson last year, compared to none in 2009.  Two of these cases occurred on campus property and two in student housing.  According to the Bloomington Herald Times (Pay Wall), at least one incident involved lighting a vehicle on fire.

300 block North Pete Ellis Drive, 11:47 p.m. Friday, Bloomington police are investigating a car fire as an arson. The fire started in the back seat of a 1991 Mitsubishi, according to Sgt. Joe Crider. The owner of the car said he parked it at 7 p.m. Police spoke to a witness, who reported overhearing two men and two women, who were walking in the area, saying they had set fire to the car.

While there were no cases of arson reported in 2009, there were some incidents in 2008.

Other Crimes

The report tracks a number of other crimes not included in this story.  For complete information click here.