The Department of Public Safety at the University of Utah shares and updates a daily crime and fire log. This log contains all reported crimes near and on the U’s campus, detailing the location and status of each case.
Simple assault was the only category of assault reported: there were no cases of aggravated assault. The Chronicle’s September crime report offers definitions for “simple” and “aggravated” assaults, as well as “criminal mischief” and “disorderly conduct.”
Crimes listed as “other” fall under a wide range of incidents. They are not listed under the Clery Act but are still important to campus safety.
Some important “other” crimes that appear more than once for March are welfare checks and agency assists.
Common Locations
The most common location of crimes reported in March was on the health campus. The campus includes the University Hospital, Primary Children’s Hospital and the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Out of 276 reports, 129 were within the Health Campus, making up approximately 46.7% of the total.
During March, 35 incidents occurred in upper, middle, central, lower south and lower north areas on campus. These made up 12.7% of cases reported in March.
On the main campus, the primary area of reports remains in HRE with 22 cases, in addition to central campus with 22 cases.
Common Incidents
The most reported type of incident during March was traffic accidents, which were 40 of the 276 crimes. This makes it close to 14.5% of the incidents that were reported. Most cases were either hit-and-run or property damage incidents. These accidents occurred in various parts of the campus.
Suspicious circumstances became the second most reported incident during March. Suspicious circumstances include scenarios that pose threats and security concerns to the U. Additionally, it is seen as a preventative measure to protect students before a crime occurs. The category encompasses a wide variety of cases. There were 29 cases reported as suspicious circumstances, making up approximately 10.5% of all incidents in March.
Theft was the third most reported incident. The most common cases included theft of bicycles and motorized vehicles, totaling 24 incidents, approximately 8.7% of all incidents reported. Incidents occurred on the health campus, central campus, HRE and other areas.
Comparing Trends
In March, there was a decrease in cases reported of rape, sexual battery and domestic violence, which dropped to six. This is a smaller number compared to the January and February crime report, which reported 17 altogether.
Suspicious circumstances increased to 29 incidents, compared to the eight in February. Traffic accidents increased and became the most reported incident during March, exceeding what occurred during January and February.
The health campus historically reports the highest number of cases around the campus; however, there was a decrease in assaults on healthcare workers, with no aggravated cases occurring during March. During January and February, assaults on healthcare workers were one of the most reported incidents; this differs from the March report, as assaults on healthcare workers were the fourth most reported.
Status of Cases
Of the cases reported, 53 are active cases. Closed cases total 191, leaving 42 in the “other” category. The “other” category outlines alternative outcomes that fall outside of active or closed. A majority of the active cases are located on the health campus.
Other Categories
Categories such as “agency assist” and “welfare checks” made up the “other” categories of incidents during March. Agency assist was listed 14 times, while welfare checks were listed four times. Additionally, community-oriented policing was listed four times. Agency assist, welfare checks and community-oriented policing are all defined in the January and February crime reports.
Student Resources
The public safety dashboard is an interactive web page that allows individuals to view different crime statistics on campus.
Additional resources include:
Center for Campus Wellness: 801-581-7776
Crime Victim Advocates: 801-585-2677, [email protected]
Huntsman Mental Health Institute: 801-583-2500, (988 crisis line available 24/7)
University Counseling Center: 801-581-6826
University Police: 801-585-2677
