Arlen Specter: “today is the 20th anniversary of the murder of a 19-year-old on a Pennsylvania college campus, Lehigh University in…”

“today is the 20th anniversary of the murder of a 19-year-old on a Pennsylvania college campus, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Twenty years ago, a student who was on drugs and alcohol entered her room through three doors which should have been locked and committed a brutal rape and murder. When I was district attorney of Philadelphia, I dealt with numerous incidents of campus crime and knew firsthand of the severity. However, I believe that many people would be surprised by the extent of the problem. According to U.S. Department of Education statistics, from 2001 to 2003, there were a total of 84 homicides, 7,941 sex offenses, 9,296 aggravated assaults, and 3,367 arsons on college campuses during that period of time. The parents of Jeanne Clery, Connie and Howard Clery, have undertaken a crusade to try to prevent the recurrence of the brutal crime against their daughter and have had a national campaign. Part of that was their efforts, which I joined them on, to introduce the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1989, which became law in 1990. Regrettably, there is only about one-third compliance with the schools on that act. The beginning of the school year is the time they call the Red Zone, when there are more offenses likely to be committed.…”