UA leads state’s universities in sexual assaults

Recently released crime stats report paints a public safety picture at UA, ASU and NAU

Kyra Berg, Reporter • October 16, 2024

The UA’s crime numbers have gone up in some categories, but UA officials attribute it to more accurate reporting.

The University of Arizona led the state’s three universities in the number of reported rapes, drug abuse arrests and burglaries in 2023, according to the newly released 2024 Clery Report, an annual accounting of crimes on the state’s university campuses.

But ASU in Tempe had the most auto thefts, with 179–more than four times the number of vehicles stolen at the UA (22) and NAU (20) combined.

ASU also leads in the number of liquor violations (962), drug referrals (122) and aggravated assaults (21) among the three universities, according to the report.

While NAU had the smallest student population, it had a reported 26 incidents of domestic violence incidents, double the number of UA and ASU combined, and the highest reports of stalking at 33, the number at the UA and ASU combined.

The UA and NAU had more drug arrests than drug referrals compared to ASU, where less than half of the students facing drug referrals were arrested.

ASU officials, in the report, said this could be because in most cases when students get a referral, they face disciplinary action, including expulsion or suspension or an educational intervention.

The numbers show that one of the biggest problems on all three campuses is partying. Based on the student population, about 1.7% of ASU students (962), 1.7% of UA students (706) and 1.6% of NAU students (355) received liquor violation referrals.

In fall 2023, ASU had 57,144 students on its main Tempe campus, while the UA had 40,533 students and NAU had 21,550 on its Flagstaff campus.

“The spirit of the Clery Act is direct: knowledge is power,” according to the report from the UA. “By equipping students, employees and members of the public with information about safety, they can make informed decisions and take necessary steps to remain safe.”

Tamra Ingersoll, a UA public information officer, said that the launch of the Office of Public Safety (OPS) team in 2023 and new leadership from Chief Safety Officer Steve Patterson and UAPD Police Chief Chris Olsen have led to reported numbers being more accurate.

“The accountability and the work done by UAPD and other supporting partners now reflect in the numbers,” said Ingersoll. “The OPS team, which includes UAPD, utilizes tools like UAlerts, Clery Timely Warnings and UAPD notifications more frequently to notify and empower our community.”

In spring 2024, the OPS team and University Initiatives and Policy collaborated to administer a University Safety Survey to gauge how students, staff and designated campus colleagues felt about campus safety. Ingersoll said the survey showed that nearly 60% of those surveyed felt safe everywhere on campus, and the biggest concerns addressed by participants were feeling scared in busy intersections and parking garages.

“With the improvement in lighting and additional security measures, we are addressing some immediate concerns while the OPS team focuses on long-term improvements,” Ingersoll said.

Office of Public Safety officials said they have been working on taking more steps to improve campus safety through physical upgrades, education, prevention tips and transparency.

“We have empowered faculty, staff and students by creating the Campus Safety Commission and Student Safety Advisory Group,” Ingersoll said. “We encourage everyone to look at our website, safety.arizona.edu for additional information, resources and safety tips.”

The 2024 Clery Report documents crimes and safety statistics from the 2023 calendar year. Public universities must submit their numbers every Oct. 1.

The Clery Act was named for Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old Lehigh University (Pennsylvania) student who was raped and murdered in her dorm room in 1986.

If an incident occurs anywhere on campus–in student housing, on public property within campus boundaries or in any building controlled or recognized by the institution–it must be included in the report. The categories of crime statistics include everything from thefts and assaults to criminal offenses that fall under the Violence Against Women Act, as well as arrests and referrals for disciplinary actions as a result of those crimes.

Because bad things happen on campus sometimes, all three Arizona schools offer their students resources to stay safe.

Arizona State University: