Reported sexual offenses have decreased this year from seven in 2017 to only one case in 2018, according to the federally-mandated Clery report released to the Brandeis community each year.
The report also records an increase in liquor law violations that were referred for disciplinary action from 119 in 2017 to 161 in 2018.
Reported rapes decreased from two in 2017 to zero in 2018 along with the overall decrease in reported sexual offenses. Drug abuse violations referred for disciplinary action also decreased by half, from 60 to 30.
One hate crime with a religious bias involving a swastika occurred in 2017, reads the report. In 2017, Brandeis police removed two swastikas and posters targeting pro-Palestinian student groups in two seemingly unrelated incidents, according to an earlier The Brandeis Hoot article.
Reported cases of aggravated assault decreased from five cases in 2017 to two cases in 2018. Dating violence decreased from 12 reported cases in 2017 to one reported case in 2018, and domestic violence increased to two cases in 2018 from zero in 2017.
Rates of other crimes including arson, motor vehicle theft and robbery were fairly consistent with the past two years.
There were four fires in 2018 in Massell Quad, North Quad and Charles River Quad compared to two fires, in North and Rosenthal Quads, in 2017.
The report, released on Oct. 1 by Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan, includes “statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus, and in off-campus buildings or property owned, leased or controlled by Brandeis University. This report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those regarding sexual assault, alcohol, and other drugs,” according to the report.
Over 100 buildings and 325 acres that make up Brandeis are under the jurisdiction of university police, according to the report. Brandeis University Police is made of 27 people in total, including 15 police officers, five sergeants, one chief lieutenant, two security officers and four parking monitors.
University President Ron Liebowitz announced his intentions to hire a night lieutenant and an additional daytime public safety officer in an email to the student body after the recent stabbing of two Brandeis graduate students.
The jurisdiction of the university police includes the main campus, the Angleside and Charles River Road residence halls, property on Turner Street and any other property belonging to the University, reads the report. All Brandeis police officers are trained at the Massachusetts State Police Academy and/or the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC), according to the report.
The report details policies on notifying the Brandeis community of ongoing threats to campus and other emergencies through the Brandeis Emergency Notification System (BENS) as well as other means, and when Brandeis may not notify the student body.
“Taking into account the safety of the community, University officials will determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system, unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or officials’ ability to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency,” reads the report.
The report also describes Brandeis’ sexual assault policies, and encourages students who experience a sexual assault to immediately report it to Brandeis police. Students can also report to the Dean of Students office and employees can report to the office of Human Resources. Brandeis also offers an online reporting system, and victims can choose whether or not to report incidents to law enforcement.
Brandeis also offers informal and formal resolution processes under the Office of Equal Opportunity, directed by Sonia Juardo.
