Correction: This article heading was incorrectly paired with body text in the June 24 issue of the Barometer. The full article is now in the July 15 issue of the Barometer. The Barometer regrets this error. 

From bike theft to disturbances, crime in the Oregon State University community affects the livability of Corvallis for students and locals alike. With the start of summer and the shrinking student population, changes occur in the types of crime committed within the local community. Officer Luke Thomas of the Corvallis Police Department collected information on annual crime trends throughout the year, highlighting key changes that occur during the summer months.  

During the Summer, when many students are out of Corvallis, fewer disturbance and theft-related crimes are reported to the police than usual. According to Thomas, the decline in crime during the summer is largely due to there being a smaller population vulnerable to such behaviors. 

“With there being a lower student population, there are less opportunities for victimization,” Thomas said.

Thomas added that the Corvallis Police Department typically sees an increase in thefts in late summer around the beginning of fall term, just as students are beginning to move back towards campus. Victimization, the opportunities for crime to occur, only increases with a larger population. Typically, crime rates rise during the period from August to October, around when many students are moving back to Corvallis.

“College-aged people are typically committing livability related offenses,” Thomas said. “They are most commonly victimized by thefts from and around their residences and from their vehicles.”

Thomas added that disturbances increase during periods of nice weather. These disturbances are typically livability and nuisance related offenses, which affect the living conditions within the community. Livability offenses include disturbances, fights, liquor law violations, minor in possession violations, and noise violations. Violations are typically reported to officials by members of the community.

According to statistical data provided by the Corvallis Police Department, livability related offenses increase in number During May and October. Both time frames correlate with the traditional nine-month academic year.