URBANA, Ill. – Serious crime is down in many categories on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, and relatively steady in other categories, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the University of Illinois Police Department.

The full report can be viewed at police.illinois.edu/clery.

Reports of rape, fondling, robbery and motor vehicle theft decreased over the period of 2017 to 2019, the three years covered in the report. Aggravated assaults and burglary were up slightly, as were incidents of domestic violence and stalking.

“Let me be clear, our goal is always to have no reports of crime in any of these serious categories,” said Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Alice Cary. “But our statistics show that we continue to have a very safe campus here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.”

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is published in compliance with the Clery Act, a federal law mandating that colleges and universities make information about crime statistics and safety policies available to students, faculty and staff. The availability of the report was announced in a mass email to all campus members on Wednesday.

The report includes crime statistics for 2017-2019, as well as current information about safety programs and policies on topics like emergency notifications, sexual misconduct, substance abuse, and fire prevention, among others. The report additionally includes resources and safety tips.

“The reality is that no community will ever be crime-free, and that is why it is so important that we make this information available to our campus community,” Cary said. “Our community members are our best crime prevention tool, and we require their active participation in looking out for themselves and others.”

Included in the statistics is information about the University of Illinois Police Department’s enforcement of liquor laws, like underage or public possession of alcohol. Over the three-year period, UIPD took enforcement action in only 20 incidents, whereas more than 800 were referred to student discipline.

“It’s always good for us and our students when we can address behavior within the academic system instead of involving the courts or issuing fines,” Cary said. “A lot of these problems can be addressed at that lower level instead of locking something in to a student’s public record, which might be accessible in background checks for jobs or other opportunities.”