After students returned to campus in fall 2021 for the first in-person semester since the coronavirus pandemic, crime levels increased as lockdowns and restrictions were lifted, according to the Department of Public Safety.
There were 343 total incidents across the University Park and Health Sciences campuses in 2021, a 61% increase from 2020′s total of 212, according to the Department of Public Safety’s annual Security and Fire Safety Report for 2022.
The coronavirus pandemic affected crime levels, as stay-at-home orders forced people inside for months. This is reflected in the 45% crime decrease in 2020 from the previous year on both the UPC and HSC campuses.
Colleges and universities in the United States are required by the Clery Act to publish a yearly report on safety by the start of October of the following year.
DPS tracks crimes and misdemeanors that occur on and around the UPC and HSC campuses. When the victim of a crime or misdemeanor informs a campus security authority, such as a guard or DPS officer, the incident is included in the yearly data.
Ashley Sulaiman, a senior studying public relations, referenced a recent BB gun shooting that occurred on the south sidewalk of Jefferson Boulevard. and Hoover Street. A suspect in a vehicle fired a BB gun at a group of students and shot one student, Sulaiman’s roommate.
“It was really shocking,” Sulaiman said. “I think there are so many students going to USC [that] live off campus. But I notice that not all the off-campus zones are guarded.”
Chaidali Joshi, a graduate student studying data science, said she feels less safe on campus early in the morning or late at night.
“If something happens and I ask for help, there’s nobody around,” she said.
Dr. Errol Southers, the associate senior vice president of safety and risk assurance at USC, noted that the pandemic affected crime statistics.
“We had an increase in the number of aggravated assaults…but that’s reflected mostly because of the reported drugging incidents at the fraternities in the fall of [2021].” Southers said.
He explained that motor vehicle thefts increased as well because electric scooters now count as motorized vehicles. On the other hand, as a result of stay-at-home orders, burglaries decreased.
“In general, I do feel safe,” said Madeline Lilley, a freshman student studying political science. “But after seeing that email about the BB gun shooting, I think that’s pretty concerning… you have to be vigilant, even though there is security on campus.”