Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2003 | 11:20 a.m.
Despite a death threat at community college campus and a spike in auto crimes and drug arrests at UNLV, students at both campuses were undaunted Tuesday by those reminders that crime happens even in a campus environment.
"We can't go around and be afraid of what might happen," said Community College of Southern Nevada nursing major Sharon Moser, 28. "I guess all you can do is pray."
By Tuesday, students on CCSN's Cheyenne campus were talking about the man who walked into a classroom and threatened to shoot everyone if they did not leave the room immediately.
"One of my friends came and told me about it," said Daniel Webb, a 21-year-old student. "It's kind of commonplace these days. You hear about these kinds of things so much on the news."
While no one was hurt in the incident, it ended in the arrest of 40-year-old Stoney Flores and left the subject of school violence on the minds of students. Legislators, school police and administrators at campuses across Nevada have been trying to address the issue of campus crime.
CCSN plans to use $500,000 in state funding to beef up security on its three main campuses. Officials say better surveillance equipment and more security guards will help them to spot problems sooner.
At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus police have developed their own crime-tracking software to combat the rise in auto thefts and vandalism. Officers have also stepped up patrolling drug enforcement efforts in dormitories to stem drug use.
At the Clark County School District, school officials have developed an action plan to deal with situations such as an armed intruder.
Elliot Phelps, chief of the County School District Police, said Tuesday each campus has an emergency action plan that covers a variety of scenarios, including armed intruders.
All school employees are told to call 911 in the event of any emergency so that police can respond, Phelps said.
A new phone system being installed this year will allow school police to listen to 911 calls made from any School District property, Phelps said.
"We'll be able to get the information at the same time as 911 dispatch, and that will cut down on the time it takes for the details to filter down to us," Phelps said.
Unlike the Clark County School District, where campuses can be "locked down" relatively easily during emergencies, university campuses provide much more unique challenges because they are open to the public and have a more diverse crowd, university system officials said.
"We expect our officers to be very vigilant, especially post 9-11," said Jose Elique, UNLV's chief of police. "We tell them, 'You know what is normal in your surrounding. The wrong car or the wrong person at the wrong location -- we want to know about it.' "
Right now, Elique said, there is really no way to prevent someone from walking onto campus off the street. Police instead handle the campus as they would a small city, with emergency plans and response policies.
Despite UNLV's efforts to keep crime from coming to its campus, the number of auto thefts jumped from 39 in 2001 to 60 in 2002, according to the 2003 crime report. The number of drug violations increased from 32 in 2001 to 59 in 2002.
The number of weapons violations went down from 11 in 2001 to six in 2002, according to the report. The number of sexual assaults also decreased from four in 2001 to three in 2002.
Elique said the rise in drug violations was a result of increased patrol efforts. Auto crimes, however, are being dealt with through new computer software designed to identify cars that are most likely to be stolen.
There were four burglaries reported at CCSN in 2001 but 14 in 2002. Vehicle theft also increased from 20 in 2001 to 26 in 2002. There were no aggravated assaults, drug and alcohol violations or sex offenses in either year, according to a crime report released by CCSN today.
Both campus crime reports will be presented to the state Board of Regents. UNLV's crime statistics, however, do not reflect the recent wave of crimes that has taken place near UNLV.
Earlier this month two men in their 20s were shot to death at The Rock, a popular nightclub across the street from the university.
Another 19-year-old man was shot to death 24 hours after that in an alley just blocks away from UNLV.
And a week ago, a group of assailants opened fire during a fraternity party near campus. No one was hurt in that incident.
Despite crime in and around the campuses, students at UNLV and CCSN say they aren't going to concern themselves, saying those things are outside their control.
"I have to say that the school isn't surrounded by that great of an area," said Sam Mujica, 21, a UNLV student majoring in criminal justice. "But I do feel safe."
Mujica's friend Andrew Mueller, a 19-year-old UNLV student, said he only has one worry: car theft.
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