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Tuesday, April 12, 2011
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Issue 58 I N D E P E N D E N T
Vol. 116 S T U D E N T
Showers 50% chance of rain HIGH LOW 66 46
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Students have options to deter campus crime UTPD offers presence to deter crime, preventative measures to reduce burglary, assault Mustapha Moussa Staff Writer According to Sergeant Donnie Ross of the UT Police Department (UTPD), crime on campus is stable since the previous year. UTPD recently produced a dashboard report, which included three categories: burglary/theft, vandalism and simple assault. These categories are also divided into subcategories to further detail the severity of the crime. According to the UTPD crime stats, as of the end of March 2011, statistics for burglary of dorm rooms was down by two incidents, burglary of vehicles was down by one incident, thefts of less than $500 were down by 16 incidents and incidents of simple assault were down by six. Locker vandalism and theft of higher-priced items has increased. “I have been a student here for the last three years, and I have always felt safe on campus,” John Durden, undecided sophomore, said. “UTPD are very visible on campus, and I think that is a definite deterrent.” To lessen the chance of students becoming victims of these crimes, Ross encouraged students to be more vigilant and aware of their surroundings. He recommended that students do not leave bags unattended and that
they lock their vehicles. Thieves look for opportunities to steal quickly. Small items like smart phones, laptops, iPods and other electronic devices left unattended are easy targets. In addition to making sure vehicles are locked and properly secured, Ross also encouraged keeping belongings concealed to remove temptation. GPS devices are the items most often stolen. However, taking precautions can dramatically reduce the risk of theft. The UTPD has anywhere from 30 to 35 uniformed police officers on patrol. Additionally, it has what it calls community service officers. These members operate as extra eyes for UTPD, and they are very visible in areas all around campus. The CSO was the project of former UTPD Chief August Washington. It was put in place five years ago and has been adopted by the current chief, Gloria Graham. Twelve officers are also on bike patrol. In addition, UTPD receives help and cooperation from the Knoxville Police Department. KPD assists UTPD with the Fort Sanders area. UTPD dispatchers share full-time communication with KPD and can listen to any call coming in to KPD. “As you can see, fighting crime is Mustapha Moussa • The Daily Beacon a community effort,” Ross said. “It takes all of us to cooperate and be vig- UTPD Sergeant Donnie Ross works at his desk in the UTPD offices on Monday, April 11. Ross has stated that crime on campus has remained relatively stable since the previous year. ilant to our surrounding.”
Syrian student killed during protest Death toll climbs to 170 since start of three-week insurgence calling for reform
Associated Press
Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon
Drag performer Coco Peru signs autographs after a performance sponsored by the Lambda Student Union in the UC Auditorium on Thursday, April 7.
BEIRUT — A demonstration by hundreds of Syrian university students turned violent Monday when security forces raided the gathering, killing one student as the country’s three-week uprising gathered strength, activists said. There were conflicting reports about whether the student was shot or beaten to death. Video footage posted online showed what appears to be plainclothes security forces beating protesters and forcefully pulling others away as they marched inside the campus of Damascus University. “The Syrian people are one!” the students shouted in the video. The reports that a student was killed could not be confirmed by The Associated Press due to severe restrictions Syria has placed on journalists. Ammar Qurabi, head of Syria’s National Organization for Human Rights, said the student was shot. But Ausama Monajed, a London-based political activist, said the student was beaten to death. Both activists cited eyewitnesses at the scene. Protests erupted in Syria more than three weeks ago and have been growing steadily, with tens of thousands of people calling for sweeping reforms to President Bashar Assad’s authoritarian regime. More than 170 people have been killed since March 18, according to human rights groups. The international community increased pressure on Assad on Monday, calling the violence unacceptable and outrageous. “Reform and repression are incompatible,” a French Foreign Ministry statement said Monday. The strong criticism was a change because international and Arab reaction to the violence in Syria has been relatively subdued. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said late last month that Assad is a a “different leader” than Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi, and
that many members of Congress who have visited the country “believe he’s a reformer.” But with the mounting casualties, others in the international community have begun voicing criticism. Also Monday, some 2,000 mourners chanting “Death is better than humiliation!” turned out in the port city of Banias for a funeral for four people killed there Sunday, an eyewitness said. The military rolled into the city early Monday, taking up positions around key buildings and intersections before pulling out and manning checkpoints on the outskirts. The witness, speaking on the phone from Banias, said schools and shops were closed because people feared more clashes. He said the army’s arrival was met mostly with relief. “We are happy it’s the army and not security forces who are like regime-hired gangs,” he told The Associated Press. Like most eyewitnesses who spoke to the AP, he requested anonymity for fear of reprisals from the government. In Banias, no soldiers were present at the funeral. Participants dispersed peacefully. “The troops just came into the city to say they are with the people, not against them,” the resident said. The government blames the violence on armed gangs rather than reform-seekers and has vowed to crush further unrest. On Sunday, state television reported that thugs killed nine soldiers in an ambush near Banias, which is 185 miles (300 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Damascus. Assad has made a series of overtures to try to appease the growing outrage, including sacking local officials and granting Syrian nationality to thousands of Kurds, a longostracized minority. But the gestures have failed to satisfy protesters who are demanding political freedoms and an end to the decades-old despised emergency laws.