Like student enrollment, crime has grown substantially on Elizabeth City State University's campus over the past decade, particularly over the past five or six years.

According to State Bureau of Investigation data, ECSU reported 11 violent crimes and 97 property crimes in 2007. That compares to 1997, when the campus reported no violent crimes and only seven property crimes.

Property crimes tracked in SBI data include larcenies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts. Violent crimes include murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults.

Much of the increase at ECSU appears to have taken place, in the case of property crimes, since 2002. Violent crime appears to have started trending upward in 2003.

For example, the campus reported less than 10 property crimes annually from 1997 to 2001. In 2002, however, ECSU reported 27 property crimes. The figure jumped to 44 the following year and has

continued rising each year, with 93 reported in 2005 and similar numbers reported the last two years. The 97 property crimes reported in 2007 included 60 larcenies and 37 burglaries.

The same trend appears with violent crime. From 1997 to 2000, the campus reported either one or no cases of violent crime annually. Then in 2003, seven violent crimes were reported. Except for last year, when there were 11, the campus has averaged three violent crimes a year. The 11 violent crimes in 2007 included four robberies and seven cases of aggravated assault.

ECSU Campus Police Chief Samuel L. Beamon says population growth can be a key factor in a university campus' crime rate.

"As cities grow, universities grow," he said. "Sometimes there is an increase in crime. Criminals are predators who flock to areas where growth is occurring."

ECSU's student body has grown by 55 percent since 1997, when 1,937 students were enrolled. During the most recent school year, which ended in May, ECSU's student enrollment was more than 3,000.

Beamon acknowledged that crime appears to have risen on ECSU's campus over the past five years. But he said crime is also rising elsewhere across the state.

"Yes, we've seen a slight increase in crime in the last five years, as has the city and other cities in the state," Beamon said.

According to the SBI data, however, other campuses in the University of North Carolina System of comparable size to ECSU had lower crime rates in 2007.

The University of North Carolina at Asheville, for example, reported 47 crimes, all property crimes. The campus has a student enrollment of 3,528.

Similarly, the University of Pembroke, in Robeson County, reported 93 crimes in 2007, also all of which were property crimes. UNC-Pembroke has a student enrollment of 6,000.

Meanwhile, campuses twice ECSU's size had nearly the same numbers of reported crimes as the Elizabeth City campus.

According to the SBI data, Fayetteville State University, which has a student enrollment of approximately 6,000, reported 140 crimes in 2007. Winston-Salem State University, which also has more than 6,000 students, reported 114 crimes.

Of the total cirmes at FSU only two were violent crimes. Winston-Salem State, meanwhile, reported only seven violent crimes.

Larger campuses in the UNC System like University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had three (317) and four (431) times, respectively, the number of reported crimes as ECSU in 2007. However, UNC-Charlotte, with 22,300 students, also has seven times as many students as ECSU, while UNC-CH, with more than 27,000 students, has nearly nine times the number of students.

Of the total crimes at the Charlotte campus, only six were violent crimes. UNC at Chapel Hill, meanwhile, reported only three violent crimes.

While crime has risen at ECSU, the incidence of the most serious violent crimes — murders and rapes — has not. Over the past decade, the campus has reported no murders and only one rape — in 2006. Beamon also notes that while seven aggravated assaults were reported in 2007, none were reported in 2006.

Beamon said his office has changed some of its procedures to respond to the increase in crime. Officers now use different and more routes to conduct patrols. They also stop more vehicles that lack campus decals.

During special events, the campus police department now uses metal detectors more than in the past, Beamon said. The university also hires additional security officers, some of whom are off-duty Elizabeth City police officers, for large events. Additional security cameras on campus have also helped, he said.

Students and university employees could help stem the crime rate by being more careful with their property, Beamon said.

For example, not all of the 37 burglaries reported last year were a result of forced entry of a housing unit, office or motor vehicle, he said. Some occurred because victims left doors unlocked.

Beamon asks students and campus workers not to leave doors unlocked and not to leave valuable items in cars that are visible to passers-by.

The campus police chief also urges students to consider the consequences before taking actions that could negatively affect their future.

"Too many young people across the nation are taking chances with their lives and forgoing a good education," he said. "Sometimes young people fail to realize how the decisions made as youngsters and teenagers will negatively impact their future."

He also said it's essential that illegal activity on campus be reported to his office as soon as possible.

"We want the students to excel at the university despite the fact that crime is a reality of life," Beamon said.