News
Clery Report shows decrease in arrests, referrals
Washington University’s recent released 2014 Clery Report showed a decrease in arrests and referrals on campus.
The report, which all universities receiving federal funding are required to publish, describes crime incidents on and off campus over the past year. According to Director of Student Conduct Tamara King, these incidents are reported on an individual basis.
Arrests and referrals on campus decreased from 450 in 2013 to 368 in 2014.
Jill Friedman, vice chancellor for public affairs, said that there is not much to predict from the changes in statistics.
“It is impossible to draw any definitive conclusions regarding changes in Clery report data from one year to the next,” Friedman said.
Though there were no drug law arrests on campus in the past two years, drug referrals increased to 30 offenses from 19 in 2013, but stayed much lower than the 85 offenses in 2012.
Drug referrals off campus decreased slightly from 2013.
King explained what a referral entails.
“If there is a referral made, formal adjudication is reviewed as an option,” King said.
For 2014, on-campus sex offenses decreased by four from 2013, while dating violence and domestic violence on campus increased by one and stalking increased by two.
Friedman expanded on this idea, explaining that any increases in reported sexual misconduct may be due to the University’s increased efforts to educate students about resources on sexual assault.
“In general related to incidents involving sexual misconduct, as we have worked to raise awareness and create an environment where students feel more supported coming forward to report incidents, we have expected to see the numbers rise and are actually encouraged that victims are coming forward to report so that we can offer the appropriate resources and support,” Friedman said.
Kim Webb, director for the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center, explained that many incidents are still probably going unreported, so continued education is important.
“I am grateful that individuals are reporting, and we still know that these types of offenses are largely underreported,” Webb said. “It is important to continue educating about the issues of sexual and relationship violence and promoting the support services.”