2013 Annual Fire, Safety, and Security Report
Click here to download the full report
Click here to download the Clery-Category Supplemental Crime Statistics
This year’s report includes revisions to Oxy’s 2011 and 2010 numbers that reflect both overreporting and underreporting of crime on and near campus.
The overreporting is the result of the use of an incorrect definition of adjacent public property. Instead of reporting Clery-covered crimes which occurred on “public property that immediately borders and is accessible from the campus – sidewalk-street-sidewalk," we were reporting crimes that occurred within the larger boundaries of Campus Safety’s escort program. Applying the definition of adjacent public property required by Clery reduces the number of crimes reported in 2011 and 2010 in five categories: sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and auto theft. The 2012 numbers reflect the correct application of the definition contained in the Clery Act. We will continue to report Clery crime categories in the escort area as a separate supplement to the official Clery statistics. This is important because Oxy is a residential campus in an urban environment, and because many students either live or spend time inside the escort boundaries. (The supplemental numbers will be available by Oct. 11.)
The revisions to the 2010 numbers also reflect 19 anonymous reports of sexual misconduct that should have been, but were not, part of our Clery report. These 19 reports did not come through the College’s existing, regular anonymous reporting system, but through a one-time written survey conducted by Project SAFE in spring 2010. The survey allowed individuals to self-report sexual misconduct and individuals to report sexual misconduct suffered by a friend. Six of the 19 anonymous reports provided no date for the sexual misconduct; two occurred in 2007; two in 2008; seven in 2009; and two in 2010. (For Clery purposes, crimes are included in the year they are reported, not the year they occurred.) In addition, another 20 anonymous reports identified sexual misconduct which occurred “off-campus," at an “off-campus residence" or at a specific location which was known to be outside the Clery reporting boundaries. Those reports were not included within the College’s Clery statistics because the event was either outside the Clery reporting area, or there was insufficient information to determine whether they fell within Clery reporting boundaries. Another 10 fragmentary reports from the Project SAFE survey also did not provide adequate information for reporting purposes, and for that reason were not included within the College’s Clery statistics. Of the 25 total reports of sex offenses for 2010, 19 are from this anonymous survey.
We identified these anonymous reports as part of a comprehensive reexamination of Oxy’s sexual misconduct policies and procedures. As part of that process, we have brought in an outside Clery and security consultant to assess our practices and ensure compliance in this area as we move ahead.