In past semesters, automobile break-in has been a problem on the UTM campus.

In speaking with Chief Richard Hatler, officer of the Department of Public Safety, he stated that Tennessee University Campuses do a yearly report on all Board of Trustee School and Board of Regents School and UTM has a 10.4 percent index crime rate according to the 2001 report. Index crime is a variety of different crimes such as automobile break-ins, arson, murder, theft, robbery, rape and aggravated assault.

On this campus, automobile break-in is very common and the main targets have been CD players, speakers, purses and wallets, and almost anything else of value.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 2002 College Crime report shows that on the campus of University of Tennessee at Martin seven offenses such as theft of purses, money, and other valuable taken from vehicles were reported, and out of those seven, four cases have been cleared. In the same report, theft of vehicle parts stands at 19 and out of those number four cases has also been cleared.

According to the Public Safety Report, the most recent incident occurred on September 15, 2003 at 5:13 p.m. in Lot 19 near Browning Hall, wherein a stereo and speakers were stolen.

Most officers in Public Safety suggest that you take the following steps to prevent break-ins from occurring:

--If you own a CD player that has a removable face, remove it and store in a safe place out of harm way.

--If you have valuable items such as purses, wallets, books and anything else of value, store them out of sight, preferably in the trunk.

--Always lock vehicle doors when you leave the vehicle. Chief Hatler also stated that the most important safety prevention is always to be aware of your surroundings.

For more information about safety, or if you have any concerns, please contact Public Safety at (731) 587-7777.