Safety first: Security Report reflects drop in alcohol violations

USD released the annual Fire Safety & Security Report earlier this month, and numbers closely resemble the 2017 report.

 The report is a record of yearly offenses, from alcohol and drug violations to sexual assaults, compiled by University Police. Sergeant Bryant Jackson said this year’s numbers slightly fluctuated in some areas, but USD’s campus is tame compared to bigger schools.

“Ultimately our numbers are really in line, we are really going to see a flux here or there,” Jackson said. “By that I mean it goes up one or two but when we are talking numbers definitely less than ten. That’s not a large margin.”

This year’s seven reported rapes are an increase from four in 2017 and four in 2016. Domestic violence reports dropped from one to none and dating violence reports fell from three to one.

“One of the real big takeaways is while we do have some incidents,” Bryant Jackson, UPD Sergeant said, “and some of the reportable crimes do happen on campus, but the biggest thing to look at is how safe overall the campus is. Those numbers being as low as they are is a whole community effort.”

Burglaries decreased from seven in 2017 to two in 2018. Liquor law arrests rose from 55 to 59, but disciplinary referrals saw a decrease from 223 to 186. Both arrests and disciplinary referrals for drug law violations decreased from 2017 to ‘18. 

More liquor arrests occurred off-campus than in residence halls.

Jackson said the importance of creating a safe community is an effort from everyone. He said Student Rights and Responsibilities (SRR), USD Housing and UPD work together to build a community that is safe for everyone, students, staff and faculty alike. 

“It’s really a whole community effort,” Jackson said. “The relationship between student rights and responsibilities, USD housing and UPD. It’s really that trifecta, how everyone works together. Reportable crimes might be down, but there is the potential that housing incidents might be up. It really depends on how the incident gets handled.”

Jackson said the best way to create a safer campus is to take responsibility. 

“One thing we really want to push is that we all need to take responsibility for our own safety,” Jackson said. “We have great policies, procedures and teams in place, whether its SRR, housing or UPD. The more we advocate for our own personal safety the better, and one of the ways USD is really trying to push that is that we have the USD Safe App.”