[CORRECTION 10/16/4:44 p.m.]: The article has been corrected to reflect the crime statistics were reports, not arrests, and to better contextualize the Clery Act.
According to the 2025 Annual Security & Fire Safety Report, there has been an increase in crime on UC Santa Barbara’s campus since 2022, with significant increases reflected across sexual assault, burglary, hate crimes and weapon arrests.
There has been an increase in crime on UCSB’s campus since 2022, with significant increases reflected across sexual assault, burglary, hate crimes and weapon arrests. Nexus file photo.
The UC Police Department (UCPD) Interim Chief of Police Matthew Bly told the Nexus in a written statement that campus crime increases do “not necessarily indicate a trend,” as fluctuations in their yearly campus safety statistics are typical. The Clery Act legally requires colleges and universities to release campus crime policy and statistics on an annual basis.
The Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (ASFSR) is updated each year on Oct. 1 and contains safety and security-related policy statements and procedures, along with crime statistics from the past three years. In 2024, rape, burglary, motor vehicle theft, dating violence and stalking were at their highest in the past three years.
UCPD reported 43 rape incidents in 2024, which is over a 50% increase from the past two years. In 2023, 28 rape cases were reported, whereas 30 reports were made in 2022. There have been no reports of statutory rape in the past three years.
There was also an increase in domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in 2024. There were thirteen reports for domestic violence in 2024, more than double the amount of six reports in 2023. Thirty reports were made for dating violence, compared to 18 and 16 reports being made in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Stalking also saw a significant increase in reports, with 60 being made in 2024, compared to 47 reports in 2023 and 48 reports in 2022. Fourteen reports for fondling were made in 2024, which is an increase from the nine reports made in 2023.
Four robbery-related reports were made in 2024 and 2022, with no reports made in 2023. Aggravated assaults were the only crime to see a decrease in 2024, with 19 reports made compared to 20 reports in 2023 and 11 reports in 2022.
There was a significant increase in burglary in 2024, with 59 reports made, which is over double the 26 reports made in 2023. Arson has also been steadily increasing in the last three years, with 19 reports made in 2024, 13 reports in 2023 and five reports in 2022. According to a campus-wide email sent on Oct. 10, motor vehicle theft has been steadily increasing in the last two years. Twenty-three reports were made in 2022, followed by 63 reports in 2023 and 71 reports in 2024.
According to Bly, electric bikes and scooters are counted as motor vehicle theft under the Clery Act, which accounts for the higher total in motor vehicle theft in 2024.
“As electric bikes and scooters become more affordable and accessible to a larger portion of our campus community, the number of these mobility devices on campus has increased,” Bly said in a written statement. “Unfortunately, these items are highly sought after and are prone to theft.”
As far as disciplinary referrals, there was an increase in liquor law violation reports, with 33 reports made in 2024 compared to 22 reports in 2023 and six reports in 2022. Drug law violation reports also saw an increase at 41 reports made in 2024, compared to 36 reports in 2023 and 14 reports in 2022. Fourteen people were reported for weapons law violations in 2024, an increase compared to the three reports made in 2023 and six reports made in 2022.
In 2024, 27 people were charged for hate crimes on campus, which the report categorized as vandalism characterized by ethnicity, race and religion bias; intimidation characterized by ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, national origin and race bias; and assault characterized by ethnicity and race bias. This is an increase from 10 charges in 2023 and four charges in 2022.
2024 and 2023 saw no murders or non-negligent manslaughter, although one murder occurred in 2022. There haven’t been any manslaughter by negligence crimes in the past three years.
Bly said that “safety and crime prevention are top priorities” for UCPD. He emphasized UCPD’s efforts to educate the community on the importance of reporting crimes, which may have led to an increase in crimes reported.
“Educational campaigns can also help make our community aware of the importance of reporting specific incidents,” Bly said. “This increase in awareness in our community typically leads to higher statistics, but it does not necessarily indicate a change in the actual number of incidents.”
In the case of an emergency, UCPD urges community members to call 911. UCPD can also be reached at 805-893-3446 for non-emergencies. For crimes in Isla Vista, community members can contact Isla Vista Foot Patrol at 805-681-4179/4100. For non-urgent incidents on UCSB property, students can file a form on their website.
A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the Oct. 16, 2025 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
Seems like a good time to start chanting, “defund the police.”