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Report shows decline in crime at Stanislaus State
Sexual assaults, liquor violations down at University
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The Stanislaus State campus remains a relatively safe place for students, faculty, and staff alike, as the annual crime report showed drops in several crimes.

The University Police Department’s Campus Security Report released at the end of September shows a decline in the number of crimes happening at the campus, including sexual assaults, burglaries and liquor law violations.

The annual report includes statistics for the past three years, covering incidents on campus, in off-campus buildings owned or controlled by the University and on public property within, adjacent to or accessible from the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault and fire-related statistics. 

“Stanislaus State takes our investment in providing a safe and healthy environment for our entire campus community very seriously, and this latest data underscores the success of our efforts,” said President Ellen Junn. “We strive to be as crime-free as possible and we are a safe campus. We are focused on making sure that students, faculty and staff are all constantly looking out for each other and receiving regular training that will help make our campus safer.”

In 2015 there were four rapes reported to the University Police Department, a drop from the seven reported in 2014. The seven rapes reported in 2014 all occurred in the University’s dorms. Of the four rapes reported in 2015, three reportedly happened in the dorms.

In an effort to ensure that sexual assault victims have outlets for reporting the attacks and access to resources they may need, the University utilizes a Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator provides “students, faculty and staff with assistance and support, and to monitor and oversee overall compliance with laws and policies related to sexual violence. The campus Title IX Coordinator is available to explain and discuss the right to file a criminal complaint, the University’s relevant complaint process and the right to receive assistance with that process, including the investigation process, how confidentiality is handled, available resources, both on and off campus, and other related matters,” as described in the report.

“The education program is out there on campus and it’s working,” said Andy Roy, Stan State chief of police and director of public safety. “We still had four instances of sexual assault, and four incidences are too many, and we know the problem is still out there. We want to see zero, but we want that number to be accurate, and that’s where the reporting and educational programs come in.”

The University routinely offers Rape Aggression Defense classes to the campus community. The University Police Department offers both a female and male course. The female course focuses on self-defense, empowerment and reducing the likelihood of becoming a target of sexual and simple assaults, while the male course focuses on resisting aggression and empowering males to make different decisions when confronted with aggressive behavior. Classes are taught four times per year, partnering with the Turlock Police Department.

The University Police investigated one report of dating violence in 2015, which is up from the zero reported in 2014. There were also two reported incidences of domestic violence and three reports of stalking for 2015. Both numbers are up from the previous year, which had no reports of either crime.

There was one aggravated assault reported on the campus in 2015. The previous year there were no aggravated assaults reported.

The University Police had two reports of burglaries in 2015, one of which occurred in a dorm. The number is a drop from the four reported in 2014. Despite the region having a high rate of stolen vehicles, there was only one reported vehicle theft in 2015 and one in 2014.

There was one arrest for a weapon offense on campus in 2015, down from the two reported in 2014.

The number of drug arrests rose from one in 2014 to four in 2015.

The rate of liquor law violations on campus took a significant decline in 2015, according to the report’s data. In 2014 there were 91 liquor law violations, with 63 occurring in the dorms. In 2015, the number had dropped to 27 violations, all of which happened in the dorms.

The University credits the decline in liquor law violations to programs put in place in campus housing and supported by the University Police Department.

“Housing has taken student education to the next level, and we’re already noticing this semester that we’re responding to even fewer alcohol-related referrals,” Roy said. “The programs in place are bringing students together for activities, which keeps them from having to look for other methods of having fun, and that’s where alcohol sometimes can come into play.”

One of the programs the University has instituted to deal with drug and alcohol issues is Warrior Watch, which is an intervention program developed by the Stanislaus State Safe Campus Committee. The program aims to give students the resources and skills needed to identify and prevent high-risk behaviors that may lead to alcohol-related deaths.

Another program to help curb underage drinking is the Warriors Up At Night. The program offers students a variety of programs and events in a fun and interactive setting, typically at a time when alcohol consumption is most likely to occur.

The report is a requirement of all colleges and universities in the country by the order of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. The Clery Act, signed in 1990, requires higher education institutions to comply with certain campus safety- and security-related requirements as a condition of participating in federal student financial aid programs. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act — signed by President Obama in 2013 — amended the Clery Act to require institutions to compile additional statistics and include certain policies, procedures and programs pertaining to domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault in their campus security reports.