The Madison Police Department held a meeting Wednesday evening at Memorial Union to report crime statistics and discuss area safety with downtown residents.

Central District officers in attendance, including Capt. Mary Schauf, stressed crime statistics pertaining to students on campus. Schauf also offered practical advice to students on keeping themselves and their homes safe.

"If we could get people to lock their doors, we would probably cut our burglaries in half," Schauf said.

Many other preventive measures were recommended in order to avoid property crimes. Locking doors and windows is one of the best ways to prevent crime, officers said.

However, officers added that if a place of residence does not have appropriate locks, the matter should be brought up with the landlord.

The officers also said students should not assume they are safe from property crimes if they are at home. Doors, windows and items of value should be locked at all times, regardless of residents being in their home, they said.

Schauf said she feels students are a key part of preventing crime.

"In all student housing areas, I think it is very important for students to be part of the solution," Schauf stated.

Parties were cited as another time when many thefts occur. Schauf advised students to know who is at their parties and to make sure they know where all of their valuable items are. She also recommended students keep a record of what they own so that if something does go missing the police department has some idea of what they are looking for.

"Crimes against life and bodily security,” including aggravated battery, battery and sexual assault, were also discussed. The statistics reported by the department show an increase in these crimes during the period of Saturday evening to early Sunday morning.

One of the biggest problems police said they are facing in terms of crimes against bodily security, is the large number of sexual assaults that go unreported.

Officers said they feel the main reason for these crimes going unreported is that sexual assault is very personal in nature. Many of the assaults are committed by someone the victim knows, and in numerous cases alcohol is involved.

One student in attendance was Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, who commented on the importance of programs like neighborhood watch in preventing crime.

"Groups like neighborhood watch are going to bring down crime because they provide a visible deterrent," Judge said.

Kelly Arendt, the Campus Safety chair of the Associated Students of Madison discussed the neighborhood watch programs in place for this year, including the introduction of new areas in the plan, including College Court.