A downward trend in reported criminal offenses on campus last year has left University Police Services Supervisor Dwight Smith pleasantly surprised but cautiously optimistic.

Smith said crime at the University tends to be cyclical and police still have a long way to go in their fight against criminal offenders.

Annual crime statistics recently published by the department showed significant drops last year in the number of reported offenses in several categories compared to 1992 numbers.

According to those statistics, disorderly conduct offenses fell more than 37 percent, vandalism reports dropped nearly 23 percent, reported thefts went down by 23 percent and driving under the influence arrests were cut in half. Overall reported offenses went down about 22 percent from 1992.

The drops are not attributable to any differences in reporting procedures, police said.

"I don't know if students should feel any safer than they were last year," said Smith, who has 20 years of police experience.

Abby Hopkins (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) said the lower figures do not change her opinions about campus safety because she wonders how many incidents go unreported.

"I've never really felt safe walking at night by myself," she said. "I feel safe during the daytime."

Smith said, "It's a sad state of affairs that a female could walk this campus at night and not feel as safe or be as safe as a male."

University Police Supervisor Ron Jackson said Penn State's declining crime statistics are the result of more visible patrols and community-relations programs.

"There seems to be a trend across the country right now," Jackson said. "We'd hope it would continue."

Jackson said students can take comfort that their school environment is safer than it used to be.

Sri Kumar (senior-electrical engineering) said she is encouraged by the recent statistics.

"It does make you feel safer if the crime rates go down," she said.

Kumar said she was not surprised by the lower numbers because she recognized efforts University police have made over the past year to increase lighting and make the campus safer.

"If they work harder and make it safe, of course the crime rates will go down," she said.

But Jackson cautioned that if students let their guards down, all that may change.

"If we allow the opportunity to exist, there's always someone out there to take advantage of it," he said.

Smith said no one can know what crime trends will develop this year. Recent isolated incidents of weapons and hard drugs may be a sign of what is to come, he said.

"The more urbanized we get, probably the less safe this community will become," he said.

He cited a shift in student alcohol trends as an important reason for the lower number of campus crimes in 1993.

Students have made better efforts to learn their limits and to control alcohol consumption, he said.

"Alcohol tends to drive the statistics," he said.

The new keg ban may have been responsible for the decreased number of incidents that occurred outside Beaver Stadium last fall, he said.