The Trenton Times published the following article on October 13, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Colleges in Mercer County see an overall drop in crime, sex offenses still a problem
By Jon Offredo/The Times of Trenton
on October 13, 2013 at 6:40 AM, updated October 14, 2013 at 12:14 AMMercer County’s colleges and universities recently released their annual statistics on campus crimes and other offenses, and the figures show that sexual offenses remain a problem even as schools locally and nationally have become more aware of the issue.
Mercer County Community College, Princeton University, Rider University and The College in New Jersey generally reported slight decreases in total crimes in 2012, according to reports they are required to release annually under the federal Clery Act.
In some cases the reports may include incidents that occurred in previous years, but were only reported in the last year, as well as reports made to school staff other than security departments.
Nationally, reports of sexual offenses have been increasing on campuses over the last year, as have the drug and alcohol use that can lead to crimes, said Alison Kiss, executive director of the Clery Center for Security on Campus in Wayne, Pa. But Kiss said sex offenses have long been vastly underreported, and the increase may indicate a greater willingness among students to report assaults and other incidents.