November saw a continuation of crime trends from earlier this year - violent crime and overall crime are both down significantly from 2007, but some types of property crime have gone up.
Violent crimes, like robberies and assaults, are down 39 percent for the year, according to the Division of Public Safety.
For the month of November, the decrease is even more pronounced. The month saw a 53-percent drop with only seven violent offenses reported this year, down from 15 in November 2007.
The overall crime rate in the Penn patrol zone dropped nine percent compared to 2007 through the end of November, with 845 incidents reported in 2008, down from 927 in 2007.
Total crime is down 30 percent for November, compared with the same month last year.
In light of these decreases, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said DPS' main concerns include burglaries, bike thefts and theft from buildings, all of which have risen so far this year.
Burglaries are up 21 percent in 2008 - there were 72 burglaries reported this year, as opposed to 57 last year - but dropped significantly for the month of November.
Compared to November 2007, burglaries are down 89 percent - two burglaries were reported this month, down from the 18 that were reported in November 2007.
Rush attributed the year-to-date increase in burglaries to the string of fraternity robberies in September.
As for bike theft, which is up 15 percent for the year, Rush said this theft "continues to be an issue, so we're continuing our education campaign."
Building theft is only up 12 percent for the year to date, which Rush said is a result of "people actually locking their doors and putting away computers."
To ensure fewer robberies over winter break as well, DPS encourages people to register their houses on the DPS Web site for periodic checks by Penn Police.
"Having someone check their house during low-occupancy periods is a free service the DPS offers that we want people to take advantage of," Rush said.
A summary of crime statistics for the year to date:
Homicides decreased from three in 2007 to two in 2008.
Total robberies decreased from 45 last year to 25 this year.
Aggravated assaults decreased from 17 in 2007 to nine in 2008.
Simple assaults dropped from 32 last year to 24 this year.
Forcible sex offenses decreased from 17 last year to seven this year.
Burglaries rose from 57 last year to 72 this year.
No arsons were reported this year, as opposed to one in 2007.
Auto thefts dropped from nine in 2007 to seven in 2008.
Theft from cars decreased from 125 last year to 111 this year.
Bike theft increased from 99 last year to 114 this year.
Theft from buildings increased from 203 in 2007 to 227 in 2008.
Retail theft decreased from 105 last year to 102 in 2008.
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