By Susanné Bergsten
Article photo by Aaron Jaffe
Pictured: California State University, San Marcos campus
The “Jeanne Clery Act” is an annual Security Report and Fire Safety Report consisting of security advice and crime statistics of arrests made by the CSUSM campus police. It contains statistics from the past three years and shows rates of crimes related to weapons, drugs, alcohol, sexual offenses, assault, and burglary that are reported in the CSUSM police area of jurisdictions.
This report is available online for all students and campus employees as well as prospective students and employees of CSUSM at www.csusm.edu/police/Clery.pdf.
The statistics in the new Clery Report shows an increase in arrests made by Campus police and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for narcotics offenses and weapons offenses. From 2008 to 2009, arrests made for drug offenses went from 20 to 36.
During the same period, arrests for weapons offenses went from zero in 2008 to four in 2009. Alcohol offenses decreased slightly and went from 21 in 2008 to 20.
This year’s statistics of offenses reported by the University Police Department shows a very slight increase in robbery, burglary, and aggravated assault from 2008 to 2009, though burglary and robbery offenses decreased in general since 2007.
The Clery report also aims to enlighten people of crime awareness, campus security, and personal safety. The “University Crime Stopper Program” is a way for CSUSM students and employees to anonymously report a crime 24/7. There are two ways to report anonymously: by calling the tip line number, 888-580-TIPS, or by texting CRIMES (274637). Text “TIPS 409” in the beginning of the message or online at www.sdcrimestoppers.com.
There are also many educational safety and crime prevention programs offered throughout the year, such as Alcohol & Drug Awareness Week, PRICE Program (Preventing Rape by Intoxication through Community Education), Self-Defense RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) classes, Prevention of Workplace Violence Programs, and many more. Find out more about these programs in the CSU San Marcos Clery Act.
New for this year in the Clery act is a map of the jurisdiction area of the CSUSM police, which shows what counts as campus property. Except from the southern boundaries, roads bind the campus area: Barham Dr. to the north, south Twin Oaks Valley Road to the west and La Moree Road to the east.
The campus police officers have jurisdiction one mile outside of the campus area, and after that, they still have authority. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to work together with the Campus Police so both have responsibilities to investigate crimes that occur on campus property.