TUCSON, Ariz., University of Arizona (UA) officials say that a recent FBI report labeling the school as the leading college campus for property theft is not entirely accurate.
According to a UA spokesman, the school doesn’t have the highest rate of property theft of any U.S. university. It only appears that way because only about 500 of more than 6,000 universities volunteer information. UA Associate Vice President of Communications Paul Allvin said that if the ranking included schools with 20,000 or fewer students, UA would be ranked 38th rather than first.
Despite its ranking by the FBI, last year UA actually experienced fewer crimes than in 2003. Campus police reported 688 theft crimes in 2004, compared to 717 the previous year. Most of the incidents involved students who weren’t keeping a close eye on their belongings.
