Larceny continued to be the largest category of crime on the MIT campus last year, according to the 1995 annual report of the Campus Police Department. The report is scheduled to be available today on line at .
Reported thefts of Institute property rose only slightly in 1995, but there was a significant increase in reported thefts of personal property, both in residence halls and elsewhere on the campus.
Crimes against persons, which were at a 10-year low in 1994 when 14 were reported, increased to 22 in 1995, the average number over the last decade.
There were 17 reports of aggravated assault in 1995 compared with seven the year before, and five cases of simple assault in 1995 compared with seven in 1994. Aggravated assault and simple assault were the only categories of serious crimes against the person reported. (In a simple assault, the victim is threatened, but not struck. An aggravated assault involves injury.)
Half of the 22 incidents reported were either crimes in which both the aggressors and the victims were members of the MIT community, or were assaults against members of the Campus Police by people outside the community, according to MIT Police Chief Anne P. Glavin. The vast majority of these cases pitted members of the community against each other.
The report also noted that motor vehicle thefts on campus plunged to an all-time low in 1995 when 19 were reported, compared with 27 in 1994. Chief Glavin said she attributed the decrease to improved parking access control and security systems as well as to the drop in motor vehicle thefts in the city in general.
The report also notes two incidents of serious crime adjacent to the campus. One, which occurred in January 1995, involved the robbery of an MIT student on the Massachusetts Avenue bridge by a man who said he had a gun and demanded money. No weapon was shown. The other incident was an assault and battery in March 1995 that involved two drivers trying to use the same Memorial Drive parking space at the same time.
There were 126 incidents of the theft of Institute property reported last year, compared with 124 the year before. Computers and computer components were the most frequently stolen property. The value of the property stolen last year was put at $320,668.
There were 706 incidents of thefts of personal property reported at sites other than residences, compared with 466 in 1994. Wallets, pocketbooks and backpacks led the list and the value of the stolen property was estimated at $165,895.
Thefts reported inside residences numbered 193 last year, compared with 67 the year before. Wallets, cash, bicycles and cameras were the chief targets. The value of the stolen goods was given as $63,039.
The report also notes that during 1995, 40 letters of thanks or commendation were received by Chief Glavin citing "excellent police work or service performed by various members of the department."
The Campus Police supervisory staff issued seven letters of commendation to members of the department.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 1, 1996.
