More aggravated and sexual assaults were reported on or near campus in 2016 while the number of burglaries stayed around the same as 2015, according to an annual university report.
University police released the 2017 UCLA Security and Fire Safety Report, which compiles crime statistics at UCLA and surrounding areas, last week. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act requires all national universities to annually release the report.
UCPD Lt. Kevin Kilgore said the crimes listed in the report are determined after UCPD investigations but do not necessarily reflect the crime a person would be convicted of in a courtroom or the crime a student initially reported.
Aggravated assault, which generally include weapons or are otherwise severe, tripled from 2015 to 2016, with most occurring on campus.
Instances of rape, which are filed under the sexual assault category of the report, more than doubled from what was reported in 2015 in both on-campus and off-campus locations. Nineteen reports of rape occurred on the Hill alone, according to the report.
Kilgore said he thinks the number of reported sexual assault incidents increased from last year because he thinks more students are reporting these instances than in previous years. He added UCPD gave several presentations to UCLA fraternities and sororities about sexual assault last year and said the university’s dean of students and Title IX offices also educate students about the issue.
He said he thinks students can help prevent future incidents by reporting sexual assault.
“I think we have a population that is more apt to report these things because (reporting crimes is) not being looked at as negative anymore,” Kilgore said.
According to the report, there was a decrease in robberies on- and off-campus, while the number of overall burglaries stayed the same as last year, at 90 reports both years. However, burglaries that occurred on-campus increased in 2016.
Kilgore said robberies and burglaries are often crimes that occur by chance but added students can prevent them by being more aware of their surroundings. He added UCPD instructs students listening to music when walking to keep one earbud out of their ears so they can at least partially listen to their environment.
Kilgore said he thinks Clery reports help maximize students’ personal safety by exposing them to the types of crimes that occur on campus, and added he encourages all students to report any crimes.