The University Police Department released its Annual Security Report Monday. The release shows there were no reports of murder, non-negligent manslaughter, robbery or arson on or around Grounds in the 2011-13 reporting period.
Police received reports of rape, sexual assault or forcible fondling 47 times in 2013. Twenty-seven of these reports were made on Grounds, 11 were on non-campus property and nine on public property.
The report is part of the University's compliance with the Clery Act of 1990, which requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses.
“The University Police Department believes that the Charlottesville-Albemarle-University area is a safe community, but it’s important to remember that crime does happen,” University Police Department Lt. Melissa Fielding said.
A major component of the University Police report is a data table showing the statistics of reported crime over the period 2011-13. The table shows the presence of crime, including violent crimes such as rape and aggravated assault, on Grounds and in the surrounding area.
Burglary makes up the largest portion of reported crime, with 59 reports in 2013, all of which were on Grounds save one reported on non-campus property. This represents a slight decrease from the 60 reports of burglary in 2012.
In light of the disappearance of second-year College student Hannah Graham, many students have become concerned with security on Grounds.
Second-year College student Isabella VanKesteren said the incident has not made crime more prevalent, just more openly discussed.
“I feel like it is important to always be aware of the risks, and unfortunately this case has just brought [crime] into the forefront of our minds,” VanKesteren said.
Fielding said students can work with law enforcement to make community safer.
“There are three factors in every crime: the victim, the suspect and the opportunity,” Fielding said. “Of those three factors, we can most impact opportunity by implementing safety strategies.”
Fielding said students, if they feel unsafe at any point, can call SafeRide, use the University Transit System or pick up a blue-light telephone located throughout Grounds.
The full Annual Crime Report is available here. This report includes crime statistics, outlines University policy on different issues of crime, such as sexual assault, and shares resources on how to avoid and prevent dangerous situations.
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