Counts of stalking and burglary are on the rise on the University of Oregon campus, while there is a decrease in reports of sexual violence and fires, according to the university’s annual Campus Security and Fire Safety report released Tuesday.
Each year, a statement regarding various crimes and fire reports across campus are compiled into one document and expelled into the public, accompanied with safety precautions and prevention tips.
In 2018, there were 10 fewer reported cases of sexual violence, two more reported counts of robbery, three more counts of burglary, and a 14 additional reported counts of stalking than the previous year. These statistics are pulled only from reported crimes, meaning that sexual assaults and other crimes that were not reported are not accounted for in this document. According to this year’s on-campus statistics, there have not been any reported fires in the 2018 year, but in 2017 there were five.
“I encourage you to ask questions and share ideas with staff at the UO Police Department, or any of the other departments listed above, as you work to protect yourself and help maintain a safe, secure environment,” said Matt Carmichael, UO Chief of Police in the opening statement to the report. “We encourage our students, colleagues, families, community members and all stakeholders to reach out to us with their needs, concerns, and ideas. Please join us.”
The federal government passed the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act in 1998. This law is also known as the Clery Act, which makes it mandatory for all colleges and universities across the country that receive federal funds to produce a formal statement publicly disclosing the past three years of all crimes and fire statistics. These statistics are then given to the Department of Education to disperse nationally.