This article was written by a student of ENGL 2310: Intro to Journalism, which is taught by Mike Pulley.
Clemson was ranked No.1 for having the safest campus in the nation according to a 2017 report written by CollegeStats.org,but that does not mean students should feel comfortable leaving their car doors unlocked.
Between Aug. 30 and Oct. 18, there were 23 reported instances of car break-ins, moped, motorcycle and car thefts on and around Clemson’s campus, according to the Clemson Police Department.
On Sept. 7, four cars were broken into in the Douthit Hills parking lot. After receiving a call from the Clemson Police Department to come out to her car, sophomore environmental and natural resources major Ava Gassel was concerned.
“They didn’t tell me what was wrong before I got out to my car,” Gassel said. “I was scared.”
When she met the officers at her vehicle in the parking lot, she learned the contents of her glove compartment had been scattered all around and the inside of her car was trashed, but nothing had been taken.
Despite the police expressing concern about the crime, Clemson’s student body was never notified about this on-campus crime. According to the Clemson Police Department, it must be considered a certain kind of crime to be sent out as a CU Safe Alert.
Clemson’s high safety rating is largely because of the CU Safe Alerts system. CU Safe Alerts are sent through text message, email, alerts.clemson.edu and social media. The majority of these messages are sent directly by the Clemson Police Department when the department believes a crime is occurring or there is a serious threat to the community, though University Relations also has the power to send messages if needed.
Philip Sikes, Communication Director, stated that CU Safe Alerts can fall under two categories: timely warnings and emergency notifications. Timely warnings can be anything from assault, arson or theft, while emergency notifications could be about active shooters or hazardous weather that poses a dangerous situation.
An alert was sent on Sept. 29 consisting of information about car break-ins on campus. Following this update, sophomore pre-business major Maggie Beasley, who has had her car on campus for two years, said, “I don’t want to leave my car out in the parking lot for too long without checking on it if break-ins are a possibility.”
The Clemson Police Department sent out an email containing “vehicle safety tips” on Oct. 3. Students should feel encouraged to follow the tips provided as even the No. 1 safest campus in the nation isn’t immune to crime.
