San Diego State was recently ranked the 97th-safest college campus in the United States, according to the National Council for Home Safety and Security.
A total of 243 schools made the ranking, which was calculated using data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, National Center for Education Statistics and other factors that compare most accredited institutions with enrollment greater than 10,000 students.
University police spokesperson Raquel Herriott said SDSUPD is consistently improving tactics to mitigate crime.
The ranking takes into account crime reported by the university along with crime statistics for the city of San Diego.
“The University Police Department’s goal is to provide a safe and secure environment for our campus community,” SDSU Police Chief Joshua Mays said. “We constantly review the best practices and work with stakeholders to review existing systems to ensure our policing services are effective.”
Monthly crime reports and yearly crime statistics can be found on the SDSUPD website. The timely warnings bulletins for the most recent crimes on or near campus can also be found on the website.
“Students should be proactive in learning about the safety of their school,” Herriott said.
Criminal justice junior Divya Sriharan said she stays informed with crime reports.
“I feel like a lot of people aren’t really open to the idea of interacting with the police directly even though they do a really good job of helping keep the campus safe,” Sriharan said.
Another factor that was considered in the national ranking was the number of law enforcement officers at the university.
The SDSUPD currently has 31 sworn in officers and Herriott said there are typically five or six officers that work per 12-hour shift. The officers typically deal with 110 to 130 incidents per shift, she said.
“As our demands for policing increase, so will our staffing,” Mays said.
SDSUPD recently opened a substation on the east side of campus at College Square to help expand the services of the police.
Mays said the department takes factors that influence university community members into account and work with stakeholders to address safety concerns.
“Factors that make SDSU different from other universities among the nation may include attractions such as Viejas Arena, the Open Air Theater; the widely used transit center which provides more accessibility to community members; and that our campus is always open to the public,” Mays said.
According to the most recently published university monthly crime report, January 2018, the greatest number of crime incidents reported was 30 incidents of larceny.
The January 2018 monthly crime report also reports a total of 350 community safety escorts were given for the month of January.
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act is a federal law that requires all accredited institutions across the United States to report information about crime that occurs on campus.
