Alcohol and drug violations increased at UCSD, while the number of reported sex offenses and homicides remained at zero from 2000 to 2002, according to the annual Clery Report published last month by campus security officials.
Strong arm: Annual security reports for UCSD from the past two years shows a rise in thefts and drug violations, but no increase of sex offenses and homicides.
A federal law titled “”Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998″” requires institutions of higher learning to prepare and distribute an annual report regarding campus crime statistics and security measures.
The UCSD Annual Campus Security Report is made available to all students and employees, current and prospective, so they are informed about the level of crime and security in the campus environment.
“”I feel campus is a safe place to live,”” Revelle College junior Ryan Adams said. “”There are lots of people around, all watching out for each other, kind of like a big neighborhood watch program.””
Resident Security Officer Program Sergeant John Cresap said he felt that the campus and the surrounding area has actually grown safer over the years.
“”This campus is at the higher end of safer places to live,”” Cresap said.
The Clery Report contains crime statistics that have been reported to campus security authorities spanning the past three years. All depicted crimes have taken place either on campus, in off-campus buildings, property owned or operated by the University of California, or on public property adjacent to the campus.
The numbers of non-arrest disciplinary referrals involving drugs and alcohol made by the UCSD Police Department and by other campus authorities combined have steadily increased.
There were 87 drug-related incidents in 2000, 118 in 2001 and 130 in 2002. There were 757 alcohol-related occurrences in 2000, 905 in 2001 and 1,037 in 2002.
“”This is not necessarily because [substance abuse] is more widespread,”” Cresap said. “”I believe the overall attitude of the university and college systems has changed. They have become a lot more conscious, more vigilant. There are [simply] more arrests.””
According to the statistics, arrests for narcotics outnumber those for alcohol offenses, while disciplinary referrals for alcohol vastly outnumber those for drugs.
Rising even more sharply, the number of motor vehicle thefts more than doubled from 61 incidents in 2001 to 143 in 2002.
Thurgood Marshall College senior Chris Banuelos learned about auto theft first-hand.
“”My car was stolen from campus last spring,”” Banuelos said. “”It was [later] found in Chula Vista. But it was horrible … I didn’t have a car all summer because of it.””
According to Cresap, the campus is a target for car theft.
aWe have spurts in auto theft,”” Cresap said. “”It tends to run in cycles Š and in this county such theft is often organized. Because of the location, vehicles stolen from campus usually end up in Mexico. Large parking lots such as ours are easy places to shop, as they are hard for us to cover in their entirety.””
Reported incidents of aggravated assault dropped from 13 incidents in 2001 to four incidents in 2002. Other more serious crimes such as sex offenses, murders, hate crimes and arson have remained at virtually zero occurrences.
“”We’ve had one or two murders,”” Cresap said. “”But that’s over years and years.””
In addition, the report contains information describing campus policies and practices that pertain to crime reporting, community safety alerts, alcohol and drugs, student discipline, victims assistance programs, campus resources and crime prevention, as well as personal safety tips.
The Clery Report encourages the reporting of all crime occurrences and explains how to report crimes, including sexual assault crimes.
“”No place is safe 100 percent,”” Cresap said. “”In general, the numbers of occurrences [in relation to] the size of campus are low Š [UCSD] is one of the safest communities in the county.””
A full version of the Clery Report can be downloaded in PDF format at http://police.ucsd.edu, or can be obtained from the police station located behind Price Center.
The crime statistics are organized into charts, which span the three years prior to the report’s publication.
The statistics are also divided into four reporting locations: on campus; on-campus residential life buildings; non-campus property, including the La Jolla Del Sol Apartments and all UCSD Extension locations; and public property, which involves the areas immediately surrounding campus, including Genesee Avenue, La Jolla Village Drive and La Jolla Shores Drive.
