"I never expected this to happen:" Campus crime stats may not tell the whole story

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Shopping for the right college comes with all sorts of questions. Can you afford it? Does it offer the classes you want? How's the nightlife? For parents, there is one more important question. Is the campus safe?

The FOX6 Investigators have identified the Wisconsin colleges and universities that report the most crime. But our investigation finds there is something missing from those numbers -- something that could change the way you feel about campus safety.

One of the hardest jobs as a parent is preparing to send your child out into the real world. Anita Olson is especially anxious. She's a widowed mother of four, and her first is about to start college next year.

"I guess maybe more of an urban feel would make me feel more comfortable," said Jordan Olson, a high school senior.

"That makes me nervous," Anita Olson said.

Like thousands of families across Wisconsin, the Olsons are in full-blown college touring mode.

"Do I choose between cost or what they have to offer in the curriculum or what they have on campus?" Jordan Olson wonders.

For Jordan's mom, campus safety is a critical factor.

"Like, if a college, like, has a reputation for crime, I'm definitely a lot less likely to consider it," Jordan Olson said.

But how do you know a college campus is safe? One way is to check out the school's crime statistics.

"The Department of Education has very, kind of, strict guidelines on what needs to be reported," said Marquette University Public Safety Chief Paul Mascari.

The FOX6 Investigators compiled four years of campus crime data in Wisconsin, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education under the so-called "Jeanne Clery Act." It's a landmark federal law named for a college freshman in Pennsylvania who was raped and murdered inside a residence hall in 1986. But just how much those numbers can really tell you about a school's safety is questionable.

"I would say Marquette's campus is safe," Mascari said.

Mascari heads up Marquette University's Public Safety Department, a state-licensed private detective agency that looks more like a full-fledged police force -- with 90 uniformed officers and 700 surveillance cameras covering a one-square-mile patrol zone.

In addition to the patrol presence, Marquette has hundreds of "blue light" phones placed around campus that connect directly to Public Safety. And now, a "blue light" mobile app for students to have one-touch access via their cell phones.

"The university devotes an incredible amount of resources to safety in the area," Mascari said.

The heavy investment in public safety has a lot to do with Marquette's location, smack dab in the middle of the city of Milwaukee.

"The neighborhood could be an issue," Anita Olson said.

It's hardly surprising that Marquette ranks near the top of the list of Wisconsin schools that report the most campus crime.

To see the full list , click here.

From 2010 through 2013, Marquette reported 184 crimes in nine major categories. That's 15.5 crimes for every 1,000 student -- fourth most in Wisconsin.

Beloit College is number one on the list, due to its much smaller enrollment and 17 reported rapes. Carthage College is second, largely due to 92 reported burglaries. And Wisconsin Lutheran College ranks third.

But Mascari says it's like comparing apples and oranges.

"I think it is difficult to compare one school to another because you have to take into consideration a lot of things -- that geography varies from school to school," Mascari said.

The geography is certainly different at Carroll University in Waukesha.

"Carroll University is nestled in a very, very residential area that's very safe," said Theresa Barry, Student Affairs Vice President at Carroll University.

Barry says parents there rarely ask about crime statistics.

"The question they always ask is, 'Is this a safe school?' And we say safety is our number one priority," Barry said.

But FOX6's investigation finds that over the same four-year period, Carroll averaged 14.8 crimes per 1,000 students -- just a hair behind Marquette.

"The numbers weren't that different, and yet, Marquette is a larger campus in a more urban area. I would have expected the numbers to be worse," Anita Olson said.

"I do think it is misleading," Barry added.

Barry says you have to take the community into context. And she notes that the Clery numbers reflect reports of crime -- not necessarily actual crimes. In the spring of 2013, Carroll University went into lockdown after two observant students spotted a man with an apparent assault weapon lurking on campus. Turns out, the gun was really an airsoft rifle-- a toy. But Barry applauds the students for doing the right thing.

"Some of the numbers we actually want to go up. We don't want anything to have happened, but we want students to feel comfortable enough to report," Barry said.

The type of crime matters, too. Most of those reported at Carroll University were burglaries, while a substantial number of crimes at Marquette were more violent -- like rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults. And FOX6's investigation finds even that may only tell part of the story.

"I never expected anything like this to happen," said Alex Conlin, a former Marquette student.

In 2013, Conlin and three friends were walking home from a pizza joint when a car followed them into an alley near 20th and Michigan.

"Some gentleman in a car asked us if we had any weed on us. And we replied no. And then we kept walking," Conlin said.

Three young men got out of the car and robbed them at gunpoint.

"I know my one friend, he was like, visibly shaking," Conlin recalled.

If that wasn't scary enough, their house on the western fringe of campus -- with iron bars on the windows -- got broken into two months later.

"I kinda knew was a risk, but at the same time, you're really kinda naïve about that. I mean, this still feels like campus," Conlin said.

Neither one of those crimes was included in the university's official Clery report, because they happened near campus and not on it. That's not Marquette's choice. It's how the federal law is written.

"So they might not reflect things that have happened in the surrounding community," Anita Olson said.

Still, Mascari says even if a crime doesn't show up in the official Clery numbers, they routinely patrol beyond campus borders. They voluntarily issue crime alerts to students after any incident that could pose a threat, even if it occurs off campus.

"It's about staying safe in an urban environment," Mascari said.

When it comes to finding the right school, Marquette spokesman Andy Brodzeller says you need more than statistics to guide you.

"I think the only way to get a good idea of, 'is it offering what you need?' is to go there and see it for yourself," Brodzeller said.

Theresa Barry agrees.

"I would say come in and talk to us and ask us those questions and talk about the Clery report, look at the numbers," Barry said.

Because no matter what school you choose, one thing is guaranteed.

"It's gonna be a lot different than high school,"Jordan Olson said.