Normalizing the crime rate

Pre-covid to post-covid (ish), USD crime rates remain similar

OLIVIA SYNEK / OPINION EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Since the beginning of the fall semester, students received a total of five emails from Public Safety regarding some type of crime that occured on campus. These five emails caused a wave of concern for some students, as the crime rate seemed to be growing. 

In September, The USD Vista published an article by Assistant News Editor, Colin Mullaney, about how the crime rate was increasing on and off campus. 

“This back-to-back sequence of events has some worried that the emergent pattern could stick, and the implications could be far more reaching than the campus community alone,” Mullaney wrote. 

James Miyashiro, Assistant Vice President of Public Safety, wants students to understand that there is no evidence that the crime rates on campus have increased compared to past years. 

“We had a few incidents this semester but it is not above normal,” Miyashiro said. “When we have this amount of students on campus, it [the crime rate] is not at a higher level then what we see in a typical semester.”

It is expected that crime, especially theft and burglary, would increase during the 2021-2022 school year, considering hundreds more students live on campus this year. During the pandemic, there were significantly less on-campus residents and minimal people coming to USD, meaning there was less of a risk for stolen items and cars to break into. 

On USD Public Safety’s website, students can find the Jeanne Clery  “Annual Security and Fire Safety Report 2021” which documents every crime committed in a given year, and compares the rates with the prior two years.

So far this year, students received two emails about motor vehicle theft on campus. On Sept. 10, a yellow Acura Integra was stolen from the San Buenaventura parking lot and on Oct. 8, a red Toyota Camry was stolen from the Borrego North parking lot. According to the report, there were zero instances of motor vehicle theft in 2020, and eight cases in 2019. If the pandemic year is disregarded, it is evident there is not yet an increase of this type of theft, but it is important to note that there are still seven months left until the end of this school year. 

Every school has to have a Jeanne Clery report, and although USD’s crime rate is not increasing, it still seems to be higher than other schools similar to USD. Specifically looking at motor vehicle theft, Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles only experienced one case in 2019, and the University of Santa Clara had two.

As of Monday, Nov. 1, two more vehicle burglaries were reported on campus. USD not only has a significantly higher rate of burglary this semester than University of Santa Clara and LMU, but every semester since 2018 (as per their reports). 

The rate of theft and burglary on campus may not be increasing, but it is more of a problem at USD than these other universities. Miyashiro, however,  does not attribute the crimes to students. 

“The crimes which have occurred are coming from outside our university community,” Miyashio expressed. 

USD junior, Caroline Daly, weighed in about feeling safe on campus. 

“All I really hear about is the occasional car break in. I have not gotten any more emails about crime. However, when I asked my roommates, they felt differently. I feel so safe every day at school when I am on campus,” Daly stated. 

Like Daly suggests, students are divided when it comes to feeling safe on campus vs. feeling unsafe.  Public Safety suggested that students lock their vehicles, park in busy areas, and report any suspicious activity on campus to help ensure students safety. 

USD sophomore Jonas Bimshas shared his student perspective of crime here at USD. 

“Is there a crime increase? Probably, but that’s what’s going to happen when you put everyone back on campus for the first time in one and a half years,” Bimshas noted. “I don’t think that says anything bad about the school or how we are handling it.” 

For the students who believe there are more crimes on campus than normal, there is no evidence to support that conclusion. For students who feel a sense of safety on campus, public safety recommends everyone to always be cautious and report any suspicious activity. 

Motor vehicle theft and burglary are the two most common types of crime Public Safety has seen this semester. Though these crimes are more prominent at USD than at similar universities, crime at USD is still at a normal rate, not exceeding numbers that were previously created prior to the pandemic.