School is almost out for the summer, but crime takes no vacation.

The Marshall University Police Department operates on the same schedule throughout the year.

Jim Terry, MUPD police chief, said the only difference between the regular school year and summer terms is population.

“Crime goes down because we don’t have the volume,” Terry said. “You go from 13 or 14,000 people down to two or 3,000.”

The workload becomes a bit lighter, but the workforce remains the same.

“We have the same staff we have throughout the year,” Terry said. “It is a good time for the officers who have children who get out of school; that’s when they take their vacations, so it helps us there a little bit.”

Terry said the types of crimes on campus remain the same.

“We’re dealing with the normal run of the mill stuff we deal with everyday,” Terry said. “The larcenies, the car break-ins, the normal run of the mill crimes.”

During the summer, residence halls welcome in students from all over for athletic camps and other events, but that does not affect the crime numbers.

“It’s strictly regulated,” Terry said. “The athletic department does a great job. There are leaders that stay with them. If they’re under a certain age, they’re separated from everyone else, so there’s not an intermingling of people.”

The biggest events of the summer for Terry and MUPD are the orientation days, but that’s not a bad thing.

“Orientation days are fun,” Terry said. “You get to see everybody coming in. You get to meet the parents. It’s pretty cool.”

Tyler Ferris can be contacted at [email protected].