Domestic, Dating Violence, Stalking New to Annual Security Report

Liquor law violation referrals to Judicial Affairs were up nearly 25 percent, from 572 in 2012 to 702 in 2013. Photo courtesy of Flickr contributor John Penny

Last year, statistics for 30 new crimes were brought to light at BU because of federal legislation requiring colleges and universities to report cases of stalking, domestic violence, dating violence, and hate crimes related to gender and ethnicity or national origin.

These numbers appear in the Boston University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which is available online, along with a list of other offenses reported on the Charles River and Medical Campuses. Publication of the report is required under the Clery Act, which was passed in 1990 and requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to disclose information about crime on or near their campus. BU’s report covers criminal activity ranging from forcible sex offenses and aggravated assault to robbery and arson.

The Boston University Police Department (BUPD) compiles the report from its records and those of Judicial Affairs, Residence Life, and security officials, as well as records from the neighboring police departments of Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge. In addition to listing criminal activity, the report includes fires in residential housing, and it describes University policies on such things as sexual harassment and alcohol and drug use. It also suggests crime prevention strategies.

Scott Paré, BU’s deputy director of public safety and BUPD deputy chief, says that to better understand the new reporting obligations required by the amended Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 2013, officers attended 40 hours of training and consulted with the University’s Office of the General Counsel. While the department has routinely recorded cases of domestic violence, it did not track stalking and dating violence incidents. Officers will now be able to parse students’ accounts of crimes and better determine how they fall within federal definitions for stalking, dating violence, and domestic violence, especially in those cases where two parties don’t agree on the status of their relationship.

Federal legislation requires colleges and universities to start their VAWA reporting next year, but Paré says the BUPD chose to begin early out of a good faith effort to comply. BU is among 55 colleges and universities under federal investigation by the US Department of Education for possible violations of Title IX of the US Educational Amendments Act of 1972, the gender equity law that requires schools to investigate all reports of sexual assault.

In 2013, Charles River Campus students reported 12 stalking cases and 13 cases of domestic violence; those on the Medical Campus reported 3 stalking cases and 2 cases of domestic violence. There were no reported cases of dating violence. On the Charles River Campus, 10 students reported forcible sex offenses, the same number as in 2012.

Arrests for liquor law violations decreased by 78 percent, dropping from 36 in 2012 to 8 in 2013. Meanwhile, liquor law violation referrals to Judicial Affairs were up nearly 25 percent, from 572 in 2012 to 702 in 2013.

Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore attributes this increase to the nature of mandated reporting and what he sees as a rise in the number of large gatherings within dorms. If a resident assistant enters a room to find 10 people, but only a single student is accountable for the alcohol, all 10 students will be counted.

“Even though there may be no disciplinary outcome to that,” Elmore (SED’87) says, “it still is counted as a referral.”

Better training for campus security administrators, such as RAs and hall directors, also accounts for the rise in liquor law violation referrals. “I’m also hoping that a better bystander training means better awareness and education,”  he says. “And that means better reporting.”

BUPD recorded three more drug arrests in 2013 than in the previous year, most of which occurred in Boston’s South End, around the Medical Campus. And drug law violation referrals to Judicial Affairs jumped by nearly 20 percent, from 70 in 2012 to 83 in 2013.

Burglaries decreased on both campuses, from 47 reported in 2012 to 38 in 2013. Paré says that most burglaries are crimes of opportunity, the result of students leaving phones or laptops in a public place, such as the library or a GSU lounge, and returning to find them stolen.

These opportunities make it “too easy for others” to steal, he says. “They don’t have to take time to break in anywhere.”

Aggravated assault, when someone intentionally hurts another person, was up from 11 in 2012 to 14 in 2013. And there were six reports of motor vehicle theft last year, one more than in 2012.

Three hate crimes based on sexual orientation or race were reported on the Charles River and Medical Campuses in 2013, while two based on sexual orientation and ethnicity or national origin were reported the previous year.

There were 10 fires at residences across the Charles River Campus in 2013, but no damage of more than $1,000 was reported. The incidents involved burnt laptops, cooking accidents, and a trash fire.

All things considered, Paré says, BU is a very safe campus. “When you review our crimes for a population of this size and where we’re located,” he says, “I think any police chief or community would be happy with the low numbers.”

Students seeking help for stalking, domestic violence, or dating violence can contact the Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center, 930 Commonwealth Avenue, at 617-353-SARP (7277) or via email at sarp@bu.edu. All services are free and information is kept confidential. Students can also seek help at Behavioral Medicine at Student Health Services at 617-353-3569.

University employees who experience stalking, domestic violence, and dating violence can contact the Faculty & Staff Assistance Office by phone at 617-353-5381, 617-638-5381, or by email at fsao@bu.edu.