Friday, September 7, 2007
Even daylight and bystanders sometimes don’t stop crime in the neighborhood just east of campus.
A man broke into a parked car near the 1300 block of Ohio street at 7:45 a.m. on Aug. 30, according to police reports. Witnesses reportedly saw him steal a purse, take its contents, throw the purse back in the car and speed away on a bicycle.
This is one of several crimes in the past two weeks that have been reported in the area from Louisiana to Massachusetts streets between 11th and 15th streets.
The area averages more crimes, including thefts, burglaries, property damage and batteries, than similarly sized neighborhoods to the north, south and west of campus.
According to Lawrence Police Department crime statistics, 104 crimes have been reported between January and March in the area east of campus. To the north, an area that includes Tennessee to Arkansas streets between 11th and Eighth streets, 64 crimes were reported. In the neighborhood west of campus, which encompasses the area west of Iowa Street to Westbrooke Street between 15th Street and University Drive, 31 crimes have been reported. Thirty-nine crimes have been reported in the area south of campus, from Louisiana to Naismith streets between 19th and 23rd streets.
Those numbers are on pace or slightly behind what had been reported in past years. Crime rates typically have increased from August to November in past years, meaning the total could be higher.
In 2006, 504 crimes were reported in the neighborhood east of campus. That’s 53 fewer crimes reported than in the areas to the north, west and south combined.
Kim Murphree, spokeswoman for the Lawrence police, said there were too many variables that contributed to the crime rate in certain areas to conclude why one neighborhood might consistently have higher rates.
Murphree did say that research showed most burglaries and thefts, common crimes for the east campus area, occur because of opportunity. Mainly students live in the area east of campus, and even more park their cars along the streets during class times. Murphree said that an unlocked door to a car or house or valuables left in plain sight attract thieves.
Despite the high rate of crime, most students aren’t worried about living in the area. Kim Peppmeier, an Iola senior who had her windshield shattered last year on Tennessee Street, said she felt “too safe for her own good” in the neighborhood.
Last week, someone entered through a kitchen window in Whitney Prothe’s house near 12th and Kentucky streets and stole a computer and printer. Prothe, a Kingwood, Texas, junior, said it was the second time someone broke into her house in the past year. She also said someone broke into her neighbor’s house three weeks ago.
“It’s scary,” Prothe said, “but for the most part I still feel safe. I feel like most of the crimes here are for stealing stuff and not harming people.”
— Edited by Jeff Briscoe
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