The Bradley University Police Department (BUPD) officially released their security and fire safety report on Sept. 30, which shows statistics for on-campus incidents here in Peoria and in Los Angeles (Hollywood Semester campus) for 2020.
The report, which discloses all information about the crimes that happen on and near the campus, is required by the federal Clery Act. The report strictly deals with police reports made on both campus properties, excluding the surrounding area such as Campustown buildings. All crimes are categorized by type and location in the past and current years.
Reports of rape and sexual assault went down in the year 2020 compared to the reports made in 2019 and 2018. In 2018, the report was five cases, and in 2019 there were two, but in 2020, they went down to one case.
Stalking reports also saw a decrease. During the year 2019, there were 11 total reports on-campus of people being stalked. Over the course of 2020, the number dropped down to five.
BUPD Chief Brian Joschko said that the decrease in student population due to the pandemic could be the cause of the reports of stalking decreasing.
The trend of reports going down continues on into the referrals made for consumption from alcohol, with referrals decreasing from 71 to 39 in the span of one year. Drug referrals also decreased from 32 during 2019 to 10 during 2020.
On the other hand, domestic violence reports increased from two reports in 2019 to three reports in 2020.
Robbery and motor vehicle theft were among the reports that increased over the course of the year. In 2019, there were two reports made for robbery and one for motor vehicle theft. 2020 had four reports of robbery and three of motor vehicle theft.
Once again, there were no hate crimes that were reported in 2020, same as the year before.
The report also includes any and all fires reported in campus buildings. In 2020, there were no reported fires in any of the campus buildings, unlike 2019 which saw one reported in University Hall and one reported at Main Street Commons.
“Awareness is really the most important aspect of it [staying safe on campus],” Josckho said. “Paying attention to who’s around you and what’s going on around you will keep you more than likely out of trouble.”
