• Publication: Athens Daily News
• Author: Dara McLeod, Staff Writer
• Original Publication Date: Tuesday, April 28, 1992

The rape and slaying of University of Georgia student Jennifer Stone last week has caused many students to take a closer look at how vulnerable they might be to violent crime.

Dave Blount, head of the Athens chapter of Safe Campuses Now, said his group is stepping up its efforts to recruit volunteers and to compile the nation’s first statistical report of off-campus crimes in which students are victimized.

The group has been keeping a running tally of sex offenses and violent crimes against students since last fall.

According to Safe Campuses Now, Athens-Clarke police have reported two sex offenses and 19 incidents of violent crime against students occurring between last fall and April 4.

U.Ga. police have reported 10 sex offenses, several of which include indecent exposure and obscene phone calls, and 24 incidents of violent crime, several of which involve fighting. University police statistics may also include crimes against faculty and staff.

Safe Campuses Now was founded by U.Ga. graduate Dana Getzinger, who was stabbed by an intruder in her Athens apartment in 1988.

The organization has worked to promote awareness of crimes that occur both on and off campus, and recently was successful in getting a bill through the Georgia Legislature requiring law enforcement officers to indicate on crime reports if a crime victim is a student and the school they attend.

“We’re the first state to actually implement something like this on the incident report,” Blount said. “We have already gathered a year’s worth of crime statistics and have intentions to publish them at the end of May.”

Clarke County Sheriff Jerry Massey said many students live, work and spend a majority of their time off-campus.

“The more students know about the crime in their own college campus community, their ability to avoid becoming victims will greatly improve,” he said.

Hilda Sorrow, a spokeswoman for Athens-Clarke police, said officers are expected to begin using the new incident report forms July 1, but some officers already indicate under the occupation category on reports if victims are students.

Safe Campuses Now plans to make the off-campus crime statistics, compiled and grouped by category and location, available to parents and students looking for housing.

Calls to Safe Campuses Now from concerned parents and students have increased significantly over the last few days, Blount said.

Sgt. Joe Walker of the Athens-Clarke police Crime Prevention Unit said his department also has seen a fairly significant increase in calls from parents and students seeking crime prevention tips and literature, requesting safety surveys or asking about crime frequency in particular areas of town.

Safe Campuses Now will hold a meeting today at 7:30 p.m. at its Athens office to recruit volunteers and talk with students about their concerns and what type of information they want access to.

The organization also is working to develop a new program in which students can have volunteers with Safe Campuses Now inspect residences to determine how safe they are.

“We’ll be working with police and training student volunteers to make security checks on apartments and houses,” he said.

The inspectors will rate dwellings based on factors such as the material that doors are made of, how doors are attached to the frame, what types of locks are in place, and the size and location of windows. They also will check outdoor lighting, as well as trees, bushes or other objects that might obstruct one’s view.