Stanford releases 2018 Safety, Security & Fire Report

Stanford has released its 2018 Safety, Security & Fire Report, an annual university publication devoted to promoting personal safety and crime prevention on campus, and to providing statistics on campus crimes in nearly two dozen categories.

The Stanford University Department of Public Safety (Stanford DPS) publishes the report every year in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, a federal law. The new report provides data for the calendar years 2015, 2016 and 2017, and can be viewed here.

Stanford DPS provides safety, security, law enforcement, crime prevention and emergency response services for the university’s main campus.

The report provides statistics on crimes that involve students, faculty and staff, as well as crimes that involve visitors and people who were on campus for a camp or a conference.

While the report provides statistics for nearly two dozen crime categories, including burglaries, motor vehicle thefts and sexual assaults, most of the 118-page publication is devoted to promoting personal safety and crime prevention on campus.

Laura Wilson, director of Stanford DPS, urged everyone in the campus community to read the report, which provides a wealth of invaluable information on a wide range of topics, such as emergency evacuation procedures, tips on preventing crime – including the always timely advice to “lock it or lose it” – and how to handle violence or threats of violence.

“I hope students, faculty and staff will truly use this document as a resource, both to educate themselves and take steps to protect their property and personal property, and to play an active role in fostering the safety of the entire campus community,” Wilson said.

For instance, the Safety, Security & Fire Report provides information about the extensive support and resources Stanford provides to victims of sexual and dating violence. Stanford, which is committed to providing information about on- and off-campus services and resources to all involved parties, has established a comprehensive website dedicated to sexual violence awareness, prevention and support: Stanford Sexual Violence Support & Resources.

Through its community outreach program, Stanford DPS offers presentations on a variety of topics, including active threat preparedness, bicycle safety and home security assessments.

Under a new program, Stanford DPS recently installed medical and trauma kits at 40 locations throughout campus to allow bystanders to help people with traumatic injuries in the critical minutes before emergency responders arrive on the scene. The kits, which are available to students, faculty, staff and visitors, pair with the Mobilize Rescue App, a smartphone app that shows untrained bystanders how to provide potential lifesaving aid.

Year-to-year comparisons of campus crime

According to the 2018 Safety, Security & Fire Report, Stanford received 22 reports of hate crimes in 2017, compared with 8 reports in 2016, and 2 reports in 2015.

Last year, all of the reported hate crimes were acts of vandalism – the appearance of swastikas or swastika-like symbols on campus. Stanford DPS believes one person was responsible for most of the incidents; to date, that person has not been identified.

Last year, Stanford DPS received reports of 65 burglaries, compared with 56 in 2016, and 57 in 2015.

In 2017, the university received 32 reports of stolen vehicles, compared with 35 in 2016, and 36 in 2015. In each year, missing golf carts accounted for most of the stolen vehicles.

In 2017, there were 7 reports of domestic violence, compared with 9 in 2016, and 12 in 2015. The university received 12 reports of stalking in 2017, compared with 21 in 2016, and 18 in 2015.

According to the report, the total number of sexual offenses reported to university officials was 42 last year, compared with 45 in 2016, and 39 in 2015.

Stanford also produces annual report using Title IX data

In recognition of the deep impact of sexual violence and harassment on the lives of students, faculty and staff, Stanford produces an annual report – using Title IX data – to assess how the university responds to reports of sexual harassment, sexual violence and other unwanted sexual conduct within its community.

The first Annual Title IX/Sexual Harassment Report, which the university released in February 2018, focused on cases of unwanted sexual conduct reported to Stanford during the 2016-17 academic year – involving students, staff and faculty – and the outcomes of cases during that period. It was prepared by Stanford Institutional Equity & Access.

In a Feb. 27 letter announcing the report, Provost Persis Drell said the data showed that prohibited sexual conduct happens throughout the Stanford community.

“We all must join together as a community to put an end to this,” she wrote. “The university must take the lead, but cannot do it alone. However, if each one of us commits to stand up for each other, and to monitor our own conduct, it can be done – and it must be.”

The data reported in the Annual Title IX/Sexual Harassment Report differ from the data reported in the Safety, Security & Fire Report, for several reasons.

The Title IX data only include reports from Stanford community members affected by sexual or relationship violence on campus, in connection with campus programs, or which have an effect on the educational or work environment of community members, or the overall safety of the campus community. That is, Stanford reports out on matters that affect people in the campus community regardless of where those events happen.

The Clery Act data in the Safety, Security & Fire Report are defined by the location of a reported crime, which must be within one of Stanford’s jurisdictional areas, regardless of whether the individuals involved are members of the campus community.

While Stanford’s Annual Title IX/Sexual Harassment Report provides data on an academic-year basis, the Safety, Security & Fire Report provides data on a calendar-year basis.

Stanford will release the second Annual Title IX/Sexual Harassment Report, which will cover the 2017-18 academic year, later this year.

Getting copies of the 2018 Safety, Security & Fire Report

An electronic version of the report is available on the Stanford DPS website. Print copies may be requested by phone, (650) 723-9633; by email, publicsafety@lists.stanford.edu; or by U.S. Mail, Attn: Crime Statistics, Stanford Department of Public Safety, 711 Serra St., Stanford, CA 94305-7240.