The USC Department of Public Safety released its 2025 Annual Security & Fire Safety Report on Thursday, which provides information about USC’s updated security policies, crime statistics and fire safety information.
This report recounts the crimes that occurred during the past three years.
The latest report revealed an uptick in the number of motor vehicle thefts, including electric scooters, bicycles, skateboards and golf carts on the University Park Campus. In 2024, DPS recorded 278 cases of motor vehicle theft, compared with 246 in 2023.
Assistant Chief David Carlisle identified motor vehicle theft as the department’s biggest concern. In response, DPS has organized a team of officers to patrol the campus, composed of a sergeant armed with a firearm and other unarmed security officers patrolling on bicycles throughout the day.
“We even go so far that if we find unlocked scooters that we see are vulnerable, we’ll lock them ourselves with our own locks. And then, we leave a note for students to come to DPS, and we’ll go unlock it,” Carlisle said.
The main goal of the department is to reduce the number of thefts, according to Carlisle.
Statistics also revealed a slight increase in domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. The most drastic change comes in the dating violence category, with five more cases in 2024 compared to the year before.
Carlisle said that in response to identifying a violent aggressor, DPS will arrest the individual and pass them off to the Los Angeles Police Department, but “more importantly,” involve USC to coordinate with the survivor, bridging access to counseling services and other resources.
Further, DPS figures showed there has been a decrease in reported rape cases over the last three years. In 2022, there were 26 reported rape cases on campus, which decreased to 16 in 2023, and most recently, nine cases were reported in 2024.
The University Park Campus had more crime reports in comparison to the Health Sciences Campus. At UPC, there were 278 reported motor vehicle theft cases in 2024 compared to just seven cases at HSC. Additionally, there were 13 reported robberies at UPC in 2024 compared to zero cases at HSC.
Following the recent bomb threats and trends of campus violence, some students have expressed concern with the timeliness of communication from DPS when threats are issued or ongoing crimes occur.
To inform the community of “ongoing threats,” DPS issues notices known as “timely warnings.” The department seeks advice from its senior administration, then utilizes its “best judgment” to determine whether or not a warning will be communicated at all and at what moment it would be most relevant and productive, Carlisle said.
Carlisle affirmed that DPS policies have not changed in response to the refinement of one of USC’s Unifying Values last Spring from “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” to “Community.”
“Keeping this one safety vision in mind, most of them [policies] are procedural and have nothing to do with equity and diversity, but we’ve reemphasized the fact that everyone deserves to be treated with respect,” he said.