ETSU’s Department of Public Safety was honored for their excellence in crime-based reporting to the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System this year.
The TIBRS is a statewide system “where everyone, police departments, sheriff’s offices, send in their monthly crime statistics,” said Administrative Assistant and ETSU Public Safety Officer Mike Orr.
Orr, who has been at the university for 10 years, is responsible for transmitting all of ETSU’s crime statistics to the state.
He explained that the purpose of the system was to identify troubled areas by allowing state officials to compare crime statistics from all over the state.
Then, more funding may be added to areas showing more need.
“The TIBRS is primarily used for (determining) money, grants, and need for police (in the state),” Orr said.
The award was given to Public Safety for flawlessly reporting incidents to the state in the year 2000. He talked about the fact that the state did not need to have any of the data submitted updated or corrected.
Orr explained that every year he is required to take 16 hours of training so that he is refreshed and up-to-date with the any changes in the system.
“We review the manual and find out about updates,” Orr said. He also said that the principle types of crimes reported at ETSU are vandalism, which occurs most often to state propert, and theft.
“Violent crimes, such as sexual or aggravated assaults, are lower when compared to other schools,” Orr said.
He explained that ETSU has a much better record with violent crimes then most other schools of comparable size and location.
He said that while the overall crime rates at the university are fairly low when compared to other schools around the state, “you must look at the geography.”
He explained that if you compare the location of the University of Tennessee, which is in a fairly large city, to ETSU, then you must take into account the size of the city it is in.
He also went on to talk about how the federal government is attempting to set up a similar reporting system nation wide. “The FBI wants everybody on the same page.If the system is [implemented] (nationwide), then the federal government will be able to identify areas where grants should go,” Orr said.

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