The number of reported sexual assaults on or near campus increased by 38 percent between 2016 and 2017, according to an annual report released by university police.
On Thursday, UCPD released the 2018 UCLA Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which compiles crime statistics at UCLA and surrounding areas. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act requires all national universities to release the report every year.
UCPD Lt. Kevin Kilgore said they compiled data from reports made to UCPD as well as other offices on campus that record crime statistics, such as UCLA’s Title IX Office. Compiled statistics are then reported to the Department of Education.
Reported incidents of sexual assault, which includes rape and fondling, increased from 42 incidents in 2016 to 58 incidents in 2017. This number may have increased due to the increased number of sexual assault incidents reported to UCLA’s Title IX Office. Kilgore said if the only description of an incident provided to the Title IX Office is “sexual assault,” it is counted as a rape in the Clery Act statistics.
Reports of burglaries increased by more than a third between 2016 and 2017, according to the report. Data indicates that the number of reported burglaries increased for both on- and off-campus properties. 90 burglaries were reported in 2016, and 121 were reported in 2017.
Kilgore said he thinks the number of reported burglaries may have increased simply due to chance.
“They’re always kind of on a roller coaster,” Kilgore said. “Some years they’re up, some years they’re down, but we’ve increased outreach so people are a little more apt to report crimes to us.”
Kilgore added he thinks students should err on the side of caution and always report potential crimes wherever possible in order to mitigate dangerous situations.
“We don’t want our campus community to be victims of crime, and the only way we know (crimes are) happening is if students report them to us,” he said.
