Collegiate Times

Halloween is typically thought of as a day in which crime statistics generally increase, and 2009 was no different.

This year, Virginia Tech reported a total of six arrests on campus between both Friday and Saturday night. These were all alcohol and drug related arrests.

Within the town of Blacksburg, there were 12 overall arrests between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on Halloween night.

“On Halloween in 2008, we had a total of 59 calls,” said Sgt. Nathan O’Dell of the Blacksburg police. “In 2009 we had a total of 52 calls. Most of these were noise complaints from parties.”

One of the reasons the crime rate wasn’t higher may be because of the weather, said Geoffrey Allen, a crime prevention specialist for the Virginia Tech Police Department.

“Since it was cold and rainy on Saturday night, there wasn’t a lot of people hanging out outside,” Allen said. “One of the things you’ll see when it’s cold is that between the peak hours, which are between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., people aren’t usually outside. That actually helps with the crime itself.”

Although six arrests may seem like more than would occur on a typical weekend on campus, it is a mere figure when compared to the 39 arrests that occurred at Thursday night’s football game against UNC. The vast majority of these were alcohol related.
In general, this year’s Halloween crime statistics weren’t considered atypical in comparison to previous years, Allen said.

“I don’t think crimes are really based around Halloween itself,” Allen said, “but rather around the alcohol involved.”