Students at the University of Wisconsin can rest easier as crime at UW has hit its lowest point in 36 years, according to the UW Police Department.

As the second consecutive year crime hit an all-time low, Sergeant Aaron Chapin of UWPD said 2009 saw a drop in crime because of problem-oriented policing.

Chapin said officers are “empowered to utilize different tactics and techniques […] and to implement different problem solving strategies” to help keep crime in check.

Such strategies include programs like Badger Watch, which is UW’s version of Neighborhood Watch.

Initiated by UWPD community officers, Badger Watch involves a variety of people on campus whether they are UW students, faculty, staff, alumni or Madison residents in general, Chapin said.

UWPD considers the campus community its best resource because without it, programs such as Badger Watch would not be effective.

“If we didn’t have the community buy-in and being able to work with the community as well as we do, those [programs] wouldn’t be successful,” Chapin said

In fact, Badger Watch saw so much success it received an award from the National Sheriff’s Association, Chapin said for being 2010’s Best Neighborhood Watch Program.

Also conceived by UWPD officers, the Bait Bike program aims to decrease bike theft around campus.

While the department knew the program would garner more arrests initially, Chapin said officers explored those possibilities extensively.

“We were putting bicycles out and allowing them to be stolen with the goal […] that […] people wouldn’t want to steal a bike on the chance it would be a Bait Bike,” he said.

With countless bicycles disappearing due to theft, Dean of Students Lori Berquam said the program is a creative way to lower bike thefts.

While a decreased crime rate means a safer campus, Berquam said it also demonstrates the strides UW is making to address safety concerns and where the priorities of UWPD lay.

“[The crime rate reduction] sends the message in terms of the values UWPD has — values exuded in the work they do… that their big goal is crime reduction,” she said.

Despite the drop in overall crime, violent crime increased in 2009 by five cases, with two more forcible rapes in 2009 than 2008, according to UWPD’s annual report.

Chapin said the overall crime rate decreased because a decrease in property crimes, which account for the majority of crimes at UW, offset the slight increase in violent crimes.

UWPD is required by law to submit all crimes to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI then uses the Uniform Crime Report to come up with statistics listed in UWPD’s annual report, Chapin said.

UW Junior Emily Barker became familiar with UWPD when her bike was stolen in August.

She said while the officers were helpful and honest, they also made her feel like she was wasting their time.

“They kind of made it seem like it was a lot of work to take down my information,” Barker said.

Barker said she heard about the Bait Bike program over a year ago, and even though her bike was recently stolen, she said she believes UWPD does the best they can to stop theft.