Drug Enforcement Rises at Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University saw drug arrests and referrals on campus rise in 2011, according to data recently released by the Stony Brook University administration.

Drug arrests nearly doubled from 2010 to 2011 and drug referrals – meaning a violation of campus policy that dictates a more educationally focused outcome rather than a punitive solution – have increased more than 50 percent in the same time frame.

"Basically that’s [due to] more of a proactive stance on marijuana use in the dorm rooms and other areas. We’ve been much more aggressive," Robert Lenahan, chief of university police, said in an interview with Patch.

The data also shows that burglaries on campus have declined for the fourth straight year, dipping under 100 for the first time since 2007. Lenahan said the decline can be attributed to a general increase in awareness on campus of protecting one's personal property. He said the decline can also be attributed to an increase in the number of security cameras on campus; the university is about 65 percent of the way through its installation of security cameras on campus.

"Our investigators have been able to utilize those cameras in a good way in terms of trying to solve current crimes," said Lenahan, who added that burglaries during the current academic year are already down about 50 percent from last year.

Liquor law arrests and referrals remained consistent with the previous year's report. Overall campus incidents in 2011 were up about 14 percent from 2010.

*Denotes a hate crime classification.

The report was released in compliance with a federal law enacted following the death of Jeanne Clery, who was raped and murdered at Lehigh University 25 years ago. The law requires that each year, colleges and universities must publish on-campus crime statistics.