June 17 , 2008
UT Martin among safest four-year public institutions; ranks first tin cases solved
MARTIN – University of Tennessee at Martin students and their parents, as well as faculty and staff, can take comfort that UT Martin is one of the safest four-year public institutions in Tennessee in the most recent statewide crime statistics. Additionally, for crimes that are committed, the UT Martin Department of Public Safety has the best crime clearance rate – substantially above the state average.
“UT Martin students continue to learn and grow in one of the safest environments in the South,” said UT Martin Chancellor Tom Rakes. “Our staff continues to work hard adjusting and improving public safety to ensure we are prepared for a variety of potential situations.”
According to crime statistics for 2007 released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, UT Martin ranked as the second safest campus in the state among Board of Regents and Board of Trustees institutions. UT Martin had a rating of 15 for group “A” offenses per 1,000 campus population with the statewide average at 22 for group “A” offenses per 1,000 campus population.
UT Martin’s clearance rate (cases solved) for group “A” offenses was tops with 41 percent compared to the statewide average at 25.5 percent.
“The high rate of clearances is a direct result of folks being willing to get involved and report criminal activity, which leads to a successful investigation and resolution of the case by members of Department of Public Safety. It is a total team effort by everyone involved,” said Scott Robbins, UT Martin director of public safety.
“Not only can a parent of a student rest assured that their son or daughter is coming to one of the safest campus environments in the South, our stats show that they are more than likely moving to a safer environment than the town they live in,” he added.
In the 2007 Tennessee report, UT Martin had 74 index crimes with a clearance rate of 26 percent, more than double the state average of 10.5 percent clearance. Index crimes are the more serious crimes against persons and property.
“I think it’s great that we have been able to keep our crime rate one of the lowest in the state even with the steady increase in campus population during the last few years,” added Robbins.
The UT Martin crime rate consistently has been lower than the national and statewide averages for college campuses, and the index crime clearance rate consistently has been higher.
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