According to DPS Lt. Paul Mascari, at this time last year, there had been six robberies since the beginning of the school year.,”With a significant decrease in personal crimes this year compared to 2006, Department of Public Safety Chief Larry Rickard said this month's crime analysis definitely presents "good news."

According to DPS Lt. Paul Mascari, at this time last year, there had been six robberies since the beginning of the school year. This year, that number is down to two.

Mascari also said another positive aspect is DPS' apprehension of suspects involved in both of this year's robberies. This includes the suspects of the strong-armed robbery mentioned in a recent special student safety alert.

Batteries in the campus area are also down, Mascari said. From the beginning of the school year to the beginning of November this year, three batteries were reported, down from nine during October last year.

Rickard said he is very happy with this success, and said credit should be given to a wide variety of people.

"The positive results related to our recent crime statistics, specifically personal crimes, are a direct result of a concerted team effort between the Milwaukee Police and our Public Safety staff," Rickard said, adding that the support from the university's senior administration and other departments such as the Office of Residence Life has been another key factor.

However, not all crimes on campus have gone down.

"On the flip side, we have definitely seen an increase in our property crimes," Mascari said, speaking specifically about automobile crime.

This school year, there have been 10 automobile thefts and 27 thefts from auto in DPS patrol boundaries. These numbers are up from last year's numbers of two automobile thefts and 11 thefts from auto.

Ruth Peterson, DPS crime prevention sergeant, said her department has put out safety reminders in the University News Briefs this year in response to the increased automobile thefts.

Peterson said her No. 1 tip to avoid becoming a victim of automobile crime is to remove any and all items from a car that may tempt a possible thief. Peterson also emphasized locking car doors as another easy prevention tool.

"It sounds simple, but when I worked as a shift supervisor and did parking lot checks, it was amazing how many doors I would see unlocked, and how many people left valuables in plain sight," Peterson said. "Occasionally, I would even see a trunk wide open."

Mascari said while DPS is very pleased with the decreased personal crime rates, the department is definitely concerned with property crime.

"It's a quality of life issue," he said. "And we're definitely going to do what we can to keep (property crimes) down."

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