Dear members of the Marquette community,
Recently, Marquette University released its 2017 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. This report includes crime statistics which are reported in compliance with requirements established by the federal government. I’m writing to you today to provide some context for those numbers.
In May 2015, Marquette’s Department of Public Safety became a commissioned police department. Since then, we have seen significant reductions across nearly all categories of campus crime. I’m proud of the work our officers do to keep our campus and our neighborhood safe every day, and we know there is more work to be done.
The federal government requires higher education institutions to file statistics according to very specific criteria defined by the Clery Act of 1990. The Clery Act has strict definitions of what it considers to be an “on campus” location, and requires institutions to report crimes that occurred only within those locations.
When we as a department analyze campus crime trends, our main focus is on data gathered for the entire Marquette University Police Department patrol zone, which includes all areas that Clery defines as on-campus and a significant amount of territory beyond that, which is not included in Clery reporting. Today, I’d like to share some of those broader numbers for our entire patrol zone. All statistics are for calendar year 2016 and calendar year 2015:
- A 53 percent reduction in burglaries in 2016, compared to 2015.
- A 28 percent reduction in robberies in 2016, compared to 2015.
- A 7 percent reduction in thefts in 2016, compared to 2015.
- Slight increases, but still low overall occurrences, in thefts from person (5 incidents in 2015, 7 incidents in 2016) and aggravated assault (7 incidents in 2015, 8 incidents in 2016.)
- An increase in auto thefts, which reflects a broader trend across the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Motorists parking on or near campus are reminded to lock their doors and hide valuables from sight at all times.
I’d also like to share the news that our patrol zone is expanding to include several blocks west of 22nd Street, between Clybourn and Canal Streets.
We take on this additional patrol responsibility in the spirit of serving the neighborhood we call home. The expanded patrol zone reflects the university’s recent land purchases.
And, finally, I’d like to address the important issues of sexual assault and sexual violence. This is one of the most pressing problems facing college campuses today. We urge our students to pay close attention to the training they’ve received regarding sexual assault prevention and bystander intervention. Familiarize yourself with the resources we have available. Please watch out for one another and be willing to help someone in need.
Since 2011, our department’s protocols have included reporting all sexual assault allegations to the sensitive crime unit of the Milwaukee Police Department. MUPD continued this practice after becoming a police department in 2015 and works in conjunction with MPD on all sexual assault cases. In addition to MUPD and MPD, students also can choose to report an assault to our Title IX office.
It takes courage for victims to seek support and justice. We urge any victim to come forward so that they can begin to get the help and care they need.
Sincerely,
Paul Mascari
Chief
Marquette University Police Department
Background information on Clery reporting:
The federal government requires all universities to file statistics according to very specific criteria defined by the Clery Act of 1990. Clery reporting covers “on campus” crime, which is defined by the government to include only:
- Buildings or property the university owns and controls, or property the university owns but someone else controls on campus (such as a fast food restaurant that is a tenant in a Marquette-owned building)
- Buildings or property owned or controlled by an officially recognized student organization (fraternities, sororities, Les Aspin Center, etc.)
- Public property within campus or immediately adjacent to campus, including a limited number of streets and sidewalks.
Please note that the Marquette University Police Department’s patrol zone covers a significant amount of territory that is not included in the government’s definition of “on campus” crime.