Increase in Reports of On-Campus Rapes, Domestic Violence, Other Crimes in 2017

October 4, 2018 at 3:26 pm by Hayley Tice

UCSB has experienced an increase in reports of rapes, domestic and dating violence, stalking and fondling on and near campus since 2015.

Data courtesy of the UCSB Police Department. Hayley Tice / Daily Nexus

These statistics, from the UC Santa Barbara’s 2018 Annual Security Report, include crimes committed on the UCSB campus, public property adjacent to the campus and other campus affiliated properties.

The report includes crimes reported to UC Police Department and other campus security agencies, including the UCSB Clery Act Compliance Coordinator, the Office of Judicial Affairs, the Residential Student Conduct, the Title IX & Sexual Harassment Compliance Office and Employee Labor Relations – Human Resources.

The UCSB Police Department is required to publish these statistics to comply with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), according to the report.

Most crimes are reported to UCPD, while a “small number” of reports are sent to the Clery Coordinator to be included in crime statistics, said Lieutenant Robert Romero, UCSB Police Department spokesperson, in an email.

A total of 32 rapes were reported in 2017, compared to 27 in 2016 and 17 in 2015. Reports of domestic violence increased from 6 in 2015 and 2016 to 25 in 2017. Reports of dating violence increased steadily within the past two years, from 6 in 2015, to 11 in 2016 and 13 in 2017.

The increase could reflect an increase in the number of victims and survivors reporting crimes, according to Briana Conway, the director of the Campus Advocacy, Resources & Education (C.A.R.E.) at UCSB.

“When survivors feel supported by advocates and law enforcement, and when they are able to make informed decisions regarding their rights and options, they are more likely to engage in formal reporting systems,” she said in an email.

Emily Montalvo-Telford, a fourth-year philosophy and sociology double major and the director of Students Against Sexual Assault, a committee of the UCSB Human Rights Board, said that while “any amount of increase is very important to recognize,” these numbers “nowhere represent the actual numbers of assaults that happen in Isla Vista and on the UCSB campus.”

Most on-campus crimes that were reported occurred in student housing facilities.

Data courtesy of the UCSB Police Department. Hayley Tice / Daily Nexus

In 2017, 19 of the 24 reported rapes and 10 of the 12 reported instances of dating violence on campus took place in student housing.

Most of the stalking, burglary, domestic violence, aggravated assault and fondling crimes reported on-campus also occurred in student housing.

Two hate crimes were reported in 2017, an “intimidation incident” and an aggravated assault. Both crimes were characterized by national origin bias and occurred on public property, according to the report.

Zero hate crimes were reported in 2016 and 2015.

The report also showed a decrease in liquor and drug law violations referred for disciplinary action. 417 people were referred for disciplinary action due to liquor law violations in 2016 while 370 people were referred in 2017.