2008 Woodie Awards
Knives keep university students on edge
by Jessica Eisenbrey
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: News
According to a recent study of crime in schools and colleges conducted by the FBI, students should be more concerned about the number of knives on campus than the number of guns.
The study found that knives or other cutting instruments were used 10,970 times in school and college crimes from 2001 to 2004, while guns were used 3,461 times. These figures show the use of knives outnumbers the use of guns 3.2 to 1.
Malissa Vavra, a member of the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division, stated in an e-mail message the main purpose of the study was to examine specific characteristics of offenders and arrestees.
Vavra said the division also wanted to encourage participation from the public in preventing crime.
"We sought to raise awareness of school crime characteristics among the public and particularly for students to report suspicious activities to law enforcement and school administrators before an incident takes place," she said.
University Police Chief James Flatley said the university's policy for carrying knives is similar to that of the state.
"We have a code of conduct that basically follows the state law," Flatley said. "Students are permitted to have a pocketknife with a blade no longer than three inches, but everything else would be considered a deadly weapon."
Since 2004, there have been nine crimes on campus involving knives, he said. Three took place in 2004, five in 2005 and one in 2006, but no records have been compiled for 2007.
The peak of five crimes involving knives in 2005 was unusual, he said. The average is approximately one or two a year.
Lt. Brian Henry of the Newark Police Department said crimes involving knives are not common in the city.
"For the robbery offenses from April until now, there were a total of 45 robberies," Henry said. "Twenty involved a gun and one involved a knife. When we see weapons involved, it's overwhelmingly guns in those types of offenses."
The study found that knives or other cutting instruments were used 10,970 times in school and college crimes from 2001 to 2004, while guns were used 3,461 times. These figures show the use of knives outnumbers the use of guns 3.2 to 1.
Malissa Vavra, a member of the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division, stated in an e-mail message the main purpose of the study was to examine specific characteristics of offenders and arrestees.
Vavra said the division also wanted to encourage participation from the public in preventing crime.
"We sought to raise awareness of school crime characteristics among the public and particularly for students to report suspicious activities to law enforcement and school administrators before an incident takes place," she said.
University Police Chief James Flatley said the university's policy for carrying knives is similar to that of the state.
"We have a code of conduct that basically follows the state law," Flatley said. "Students are permitted to have a pocketknife with a blade no longer than three inches, but everything else would be considered a deadly weapon."
Since 2004, there have been nine crimes on campus involving knives, he said. Three took place in 2004, five in 2005 and one in 2006, but no records have been compiled for 2007.
The peak of five crimes involving knives in 2005 was unusual, he said. The average is approximately one or two a year.
Lt. Brian Henry of the Newark Police Department said crimes involving knives are not common in the city.
"For the robbery offenses from April until now, there were a total of 45 robberies," Henry said. "Twenty involved a gun and one involved a knife. When we see weapons involved, it's overwhelmingly guns in those types of offenses."
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