The Stanford University Department of Public Safety (DPS) has published the 2025 Safety, Security, and Fire Report, which provides campus crime statistics and important safety information for the university community.
The annual report is published in compliance with the federal law commonly referred to as the Clery Act. The report’s crime statistics include alleged offenses, including attempts, reported to university staff or police within the 2024 calendar year, as well as data from the prior two years. It also contains helpful information and tips on personal safety and emergency preparedness, such as how to report a crime, what to do in an emergency, and how the university’s mass notification system works.
“We have thousands of students, faculty, staff, and visitors on campus every day, and we strive to ensure their safety,” said DPS Chief Laura Wilson. “This annual report helps keep the Stanford community informed of crime that occurs here. It also gives people clear guidance on how they can help support campus safety.”
The report is available online, and printed copies are available through DPS.
Crime stats
In 2024, there were 54 reports of domestic violence, up sharply from 13 reports in 2023. Vince Bergado, Clery Act compliance coordinator for DPS, explained that this increase is partly due to two cases reporting an extended history of abuse, as well as some incidents dating back more than 25 years. Those cases account for more than 25 reports in the 2024 statistics.
The report’s crime statistics reflect when crimes are reported, not when they are alleged to have occurred.
California state law requires deputies to make an arrest if there is any evidence of physical violence when they are called to a scene. The threshold for law enforcement intervention is intentionally low because “the goal is to de-escalate and take immediate steps for the safety of those involved,” Bergado said.
Reports of stalking have also increased in recent years, in part because of changes in how the Clery Act classifies the crime. Under the Clery Act, stalking is defined as two or more acts directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety or suffer substantial emotional distress. There were 58 reports of stalking in 2024, 55 in 2023, 41 in 2022, and 30 in 2021.
“Some of the increase also has to do with more social awareness and more reporting through Title IX, which is a good thing,” Bergado said.
Only two of the 58 cases reported in 2024 met California’s narrower criminal definition of stalking, which requires an immediate and credible threat to the safety of the victim or the victim’s family.
The total number of reported sex offenses – which includes rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape – in 2024 was 46, a downward trend from 63 in 2023 and 59 in 2022.
The university’s SHARE Title IX and Title VI Office is the central resource for redressing and preventing sexual harassment, sexual violence, harassment, and discrimination for Stanford community members. The SHARE Office provides a range of resources on relationship violence, and education is a key focus of SHARE's work. For example, all new undergraduate students must complete the Sexual Assault Prevention for Undergraduate Students course and attend the Beyond Sex Ed session on intimacy and relationships as a part of New Student Orientation.
Students can also contact the Stanford Confidential Support Team, which offers a 24/7 hotline, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) in Vaden Health Services, and the YWCA@Stanford Program. Faculty and staff can contact the Faculty Staff Help Center.
There were 26 aggravated assaults reported in 2024, up from 21 in 2023, with most – 17 – reported as having occurred in student residences. Some cases reported in 2024 are reflected as both domestic violence and aggravated assault in the campus crime statistics if the people involved were in a relationship, Bergado said.
Motor vehicle theft represents the most common crime reported on campus with 182 instances reported last year. This includes 77 electric bikes, 68 electric scooters, 24 golf carts, 10 automobiles, two electric skateboards, and one motorcycle.
DPS encourages those on campus to always secure their bikes, scooters, and skateboards with at least a lock, to register their bikes online, and to immediately report any suspicious activity near bike racks or parking lots to DPS.
There were 31 burglaries, up from 28 the year prior, and two robberies reported in 2024, which is down from the nine reported in the previous year.
There was also an increase in arrests for drug law violations with 33 in 2024, up from 10 in 2023. Eight additional law violations were referred for disciplinary action, compared to just one total in the previous two years.
Some of the drug arrests occurred in the course of investigation of other crimes, like bike thefts, Bergado explained.
Hate crimes
In 2024, there were a dozen hate crimes reported, which is half the number reported in the prior year. Of those, seven were reports of vandalism, three reports of intimidation, and two reports of simple assault. The 2025 Safety, Security, and Fire Report includes basic details of each of these incidents.
The Clery Act defines hate crimes as a criminal offense with evidence that the victim was targeted because of the perpetrator’s bias. This could be a bias against disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Many campuses have reported an increase in hate crime reporting in recent years, according to the Clery Center.
More than half of the hate crimes reported involved acts of vandalism or intimidation with national origin bias related to the Hamas-Israel war. The university in 2024 worked with two separate committees – the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian Communities Committee, and the Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias – to better understand what their communities have experienced before and after the Oct. 7, 2023, start of the Hamas-Israel war.
The universitys Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom at Stanford website provides information on policies and procedures around speech and expression at Stanford. While university representatives have the responsibility for managing those policies and procedures, DPS is a close partner in protecting freedom of expression on campus.
“DPS thoroughly investigates reports of hate crimes in an effort to provide justice to victims,” Bergado said. “The whole Stanford community, including DPS, has a role in fostering an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong.”
Those who have been the victim of a hate crime or bias-motivated incident can seek support and report it at the Title VI Office or by contacting DPS.
Writer
Chelcey Adami
