Students reported fewer rapes, fondles and burglaries in 2018 than in 2017 according to the 2019 Annual Security Crime Report released Sept. 19.
The Annual Security Report includes statistics on crime compiled by Strategic Business Services between 2014 and 2016. It is dependent on students telling police or campus employees about any crimes that may have been committed.
The report may have drastic jumps in crime over the years due to differences in campus policy. For example, there was a spike in liquor law referrals in 2013 and 2014 because the University Police Department (UPD) educated University Housing staff on what to report to the department, UPD Chief George Hughes told Mustang News in 2017.
SAFER Assistant Director of Wellbeing Kara Samaniego and UPD were not immediately able to comment on the report.
Last year, Samaniego told Mustang News that an increase in reported rapes — from zero in 2009 to 11 in 2017 — was largely due to survivors coming forward. In 2018, seven students reported a rape.
“When I was a student here it was still happening,” Samaniego told Mustang News. “It wasn’t really clear who exactly to talk to about it if you didn’t want to report it.”
Reported fondles, which grew from zero to five to 11 in 2017, is down to two in 2018. Students reported eight burglaries, down from 18 in 2017 and 16 in 2016. Students reported four stalkers in 2018, compared to eight in 2017 and two in 2016.
Three people were arrested for violating weapon laws in 2018, 17 were arrested for breaking drug laws and 49 were arrested for violating liquor laws. Two arson crimes were reported, eight people reported burgled on campus and seven cars were reported stolen, four on campus.
Five people were arrested for violating weapon laws in 2017, 12 were arrested for breaking drug laws and 46 were arrested for violating liquor laws. Thirteen people reported being burgled on campus and seven cars were reported stolen, all of them on campus. No arson crimes were reported.
While the Annual Security Report is comprehensive, it reflects the number of crimes reported rather than the actual number of crimes committed. Hughes said in 2017 that the report is becoming more accurate because of UPD’s efforts to reach out to people reporting crimes to the department.
“The best protection against campus crime is an aware, informed and alert campus community in partnership with law enforcement,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said in the report.
Correction: The number of reported rapes was corrected from 18 to 11.