College students are away, but crime level stays about the same, partly due to summer camps
Jun 17, 2009, 10:36 AM
By WINSTON ROBINSON
WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The summer is when most UCM students take a break from the classroom to take internships, get part-time jobs or just relax until August rolls around.
There aren’t many parties going on in Warrensburg, and Thursday nights on Pine Street look more like Sunday morning on Maguire.
This would seem like a time where all of the hustle-and-bustle that goes on during the nine months the college students are around ceases, but that's not exactly the case.
“During the summer, we get the same kinds of calls,” said Detective Sgt. Matt Vessar of UCM Campus Police. “The reason we do is because we have so many different camps coming through during the summer. We do have thefts when they are here for a week at a time.”
The camps that come to UCM, including football, cheerleading and Boys and Girls State, don’t only keep the UCM Police as busy as usual, they make it even harder for them to deal with.
“The main thing that goes on during the summer is theft,” said UCM Campus Police Chief Bob Ahring. “Those camps are only here for a week and they’re gone, which makes it hard for us to follow up investigations. It’s also hard because they don’t know each other most of the time and it’s hard for them to know who did what.”
The crimes in the summer don’t only affect the UCM Campus Police, but also the Warrensburg Police Department.
The total number of alcohol-related incidents on Pine Street has declined since the ordinance banning persons under 21 from entering bars, but the number of incidents in Warrensburg that occur during the summer compared to the regular school year are similar.
During the nine months school was in session, there were 128 minor-in-possession and 70 open container incidents. During the three-month summer break last year, there were 43 minor-in-possession and 36 open container incidents. Also, there were 114 Driving Under the Influence arrests in the regular school year and 46 during the summer.
“If you look at the (alcohol-related) numbers like that, then, yes, things are the same,” said Warrensburg Police Lt. Cindy Jones. “The reason those numbers look similar is because of the ordinance in place to keep underage people out of the bars on Pine Street. A few years back, you would see a big difference in those numbers, but now the law has leveled it out.”
Some other incidents handled by the Warrensburg Police that average out to be similar in comparison are misdemeanor possession of marijuana, third-degree domestic assault, trespassing and failure to obey an officer.
“Back in the old days, we used to get quite a breather during the summer time, and not have big stacks of reports and the like,” said Police Chief Bruce Howey. “But now that runs pretty much year-round.”
Although both the UCM and Warrensburg police are still busy during the summer, it’s still quiet enough to where the officers use the summer to take vacations and train while the college students are gone.
