The number of arrests on the campus of the University of Mississippi tripled from 2009 to 2010, causing Oxford residents to become quite concerned. University Police Department Chief Calvin Sellers had reason to be proud, not worried. "The more drivers we take off the streets that have been drinking or using drugs, the safer our campus and community is," Sellers said.
Speculations have been made by the public that UPD has been "out to get" drunk drivers. Sellers said that UPD's primary job is to keep the students on this campus safe. "We're not out to see how many arrests we can make," Sellers said, "we are just trying to create a safe atmosphere for anyone that steps onto this campus."
Head Resident Advisor at Stockard Hall, the largest male dorm on campus, Josh Guisser, is not surprised by the increase of arrests. “Things obviously get wild at Stockard, and the number of arrests at Stockard alone increased last year. I think that UPD has handled themselves professionally and they are making our campus safer as a whole.”
According to UPD, drug-related and DUI arrests each tripled from 2009 to 2010. The number of drug-related arrests rose from 33 in 2009 to 111 in 2010. The number of DUI’s rose from 20 in 2009 to 71 in 2010.
An increase in patrolling officers and students enrolled also played a huge role in the increase of arrests. In 2009, there were no more than 3 UPD officers on patrol at any given time in the week. In 2010, that number was almost doubled to 5 regularly-patrolling officers. In the 2008-2009 school year, the university's enrollment was 13,685. In the 2009-2010 school year, that number had increased to 14,346.
According to UPD, no plans have been made for 2011 to crack down even harder to further increase the number of arrests. Sellers did say that plans were being made to improve general education about drug and alcohol use and about the public transportation systems that are available to any student that is under the influence.
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