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The number of on-campus motor vehicle thefts at Syracuse University almost tripled last year, rising from 11 cases in 2022 to 30 in 2023, according to recently-released crime data. The amount of reported on-campus burglaries saw a significant decrease.

SU’s Department of Public Safety released its 2024 Your Safety and Security report in a campus-wide email sent by Senior Vice Presidents Allen Groves and Brett Padgett Friday afternoon. The report detailed all campus security and fire safety data from 2021-23 and attributed the uptick in motor vehicle thefts to an increased presence in electric scooters and bikes — which the data classifies as motor vehicles.

Through the Jeanne Clery Act, colleges and universities that receive federal money, such as SU, are required to submit an annual security report by Oct. 1 of each year. The report contains crime statistics from SU’s main campus and other university facilities, including study abroad centers. It also lays out proper emergency procedures.

In 2023, there were 10 burglaries on campus, a 64.3% — or 18-incident — decrease from the previous year. In contrast, motor vehicle theft on campus increased from 11 to 30 over the same period, or around 172.7%.

Community members in Syracuse’s Westcott neighborhood previously voiced concerns about a rise in motor vehicle theft at a meeting held on Sept. 17. During the meeting, Lt. Benjamin Conklin, an officer with the Syracuse Police Department, said motor vehicle theft in Syracuse is up 70% from 2023.

The university’s crime statistics archive contains all crimes reported directly to DPS or through other campus security authorities such as Student Living, Community Standards, the Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services and Counseling, the report states. All campus security groups contributed data to the report.

DPS requested additional data from local law enforcement agencies for crimes that they may have responded to on campus and included them in the report.

Crime statistics were categorized following the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Guidelines and the Clery Act. Definitions of each reportable crime were included in the report in accordance with the FBI’s guidelines.

Dakota Dorsey | Design Editor

According to the report, liquor law violations decreased slightly on campus, from 403 violations in 2022 to 376 in 2023.

The number of rape reports remained virtually the same, with 17 in 2022 and 16 in 2023. The prominence of dating violence, fondling and stalking incidents have also stayed consistent over the past two years.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, 13% of undergraduate and graduate students experience sexual assault or rape. A commonality across many college campuses is that a significant percentage of rape and sexual assault cases go unreported.

Prevention efforts and awareness programs to address sexual and relationship violence, such as harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, are conducted through EOIRS and the Barnes Center at The Arch.

The Fire Safety Report, located at the end of the document, included all reported residential fires, student housing facilities’ safety systems and fire safety policy standards and practices. From 2021-23, there were five fires reported in residence halls and five on South Campus, primarily due to neglected candles, electrical accidents and cooking incidents.

A major update to all the fire alarms in residence halls is currently in progress, according to the report. The system will connect each of the individual student room detectors to the main fire alarm panel, replacing the single-station detectors previously used. Twelve residence halls have undergone updates so far.

SU’s Fire and Life Safety Services Department also plans to improve evacuation signage in all dormitories, the report states.

Published on September 29, 2024 at 10:23 pm

Contact Kate: kjacks19@syr.edu