Crime rates on all University of Tennessee campuses decreased 12.6 percent during 2007, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville had roughly 500 less cases in 2007 than in 2006 according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

            The UT Police Department (UTPD) also reported that overall crime in the Fort Sanders area near campus has decreased, but personal crime, a crime against a person, has increased.

            Despite these decreases, many students said they are concerned about the crime levels.

            "I have felt more unsafe this year than any other year. It might be because students are more aware of every crime that happens but either way, I feel unsafe walking alone on and off campus," nursing sophomore Leigh Barnett said.

            In the last year, UT has implemented an alert system in hopes of helping students, faculty and staff make informed decisions regarding personal safety.  The alert system sends out text messages and e-mails when there is an emergency or crime committed on campus.

            "With technology advancement, UT has been able to notify our community much quicker and on a broader base. While making the community more aware, it has worked against us in the respect of perception," UTPD Lieutenant Emily M. Simerly said.

            There are 51 officers and numerous community service officers on the UTPD staff who patrol the main campus.

            "I see so many UTPD police cars on campus which makes me feel safer but I rarely see any in the Fort," Barnett said.

            The UTPD send some officers to the Fort area even though it is under the primary jurisdiction of the Knoxville Police Department.

            "We always want to be careful not to take too many officers off of the main campus for other areas such as the fort because it is then more exposed," Simerly said.

            In some cases, more exposure means more crime.

            Two unidentified men held communications sophomore Maria Taylor at gunpoint in January 2008 on the corner of Lake and Terrace Avenues. Taylor had no injuries but her purse and I-Pod were stolen. Police have not caught either suspect.  

            "I was traumatized. I felt like there were no precautions taken by the UTPD or the University to make me feel better about the situation. I want to be able to feel like I am safe on campus," Taylor said.

            UT has more than 30,000 staff, students and faculty on campus and approximately 7,000 of those live in the Fort Sanders area. 

            "The most important advice to remember is no one is immune from crime. Call the police immediately if you see suspicious persons or activity not matter how minor," Simerly said.