How safe was Ohio State University's campus in 2022? New report shows slight improvements.
Crime statistics reported at Ohio State University's Columbus campus for 2022 showed slight improvements from the previous year and mirrored more closely with pre-pandemic statistics, according to the latest campus safety report.
Each year, colleges and universities that receive federal funding are required under the Clery Act to publish an annual safety report that includes campus crime statistics for the previous three years.
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In 2022, the most recent available data, there were 357 crimes reported across OSU's Columbus main campus, about a 7% decrease from 2021.
Ohio State's statistics include crimes reported on campus, in noncampus university buildings or property controlled by the university or its student organizations, and on public property within or immediately adjacent to campus. The data do not reflect crimes that were reported in off-campus areas like Columbus' University District.
The report, published by October each year, includes incidents reported during the previous calendar year, not the academic year.
Ohio State's 2022 campus crime numbers
The three most-reported crimes on campus last year were rape, fondling and stalking.
There were 86 reports of rape in 2022, down from 91 in 2021, excluding reports related to sexual abuse by former university doctor Richard Strauss. Strauss, who worked at Ohio State as a varsity sports doctor and physician from 1978 to 1998, abused at least 177 students during his tenure.
Because the Clery Act requires that incidents are counted in the year they were reported, rather than the year they occurred, previous annual crime reports have included incidents of sexual abuse by Strauss. There were no Strauss-related crimes reported in 2022.
Incidents of fondling, excluding instances related to Strauss, were down to 53 reports in 2022, compared to 79 the previous year.
Stalking reports edged up in 2022, from 68 to 70.
Another crime statistic that rose in 2022 was burglaries. There were 62 burglary reports last year, up from 44 in 2021. Most of those incidents were reported outside of residence halls.
Robbery reports were up from 8 in 2021 to 11 in 2022.
On-campus motor vehicle theft was down slightly from 29 to 26 reports last year. Off-campus reports — which includes police reports taken by suburban municipalities, county law enforcement and Columbus Division of Police — of motor vehicle thefts were up from 4 to 32.
Arrests on campus were up across three categories. There were 57 arrests for alcohol law violations, 22 for drug law violations and five weapons law violations.
Disciplinary referrals in those same categories, however, were down. There were 638 referrals for alcohol law violations and 139 for drug law violations. There were no referrals for weapons law violations.
Reports of domestic violence and dating violence were also down in 2022, with nine and 34 reports, respectively.
What is Ohio State doing to make campus safe for students?
Public safety on and off campus has been a consistent issue for Ohio State students and their families over the last few years.
Following the October 2020 murder of Chase Meola, a fifth-year Ohio State business student who was killed in an early morning shooting outside the off-campus Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity house, students and parents called on the university for more safety measures.
In September 2021, former Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson said the university would invest an additional $2 million a year in funding over the next decade to enhance safety and security measures on and off campus. That investment increased Ohio State's public safety budget to more than $35 million.
Ohio State Director of Public Safety Monica Moll said that investment has since led to a decrease in crime.
In August, days before the beginning of this school year, Ohio State University wrestler Sammy Sasso was shot and seriously injured during a carjacking near the Short North Kroger.
An Ohio State student walking near the Residence on 10th residence hall was robbed at gunpoint around 12:20 a.m. on Sept. 9. Later that same day, 77-year-old Emily Foster, a University District writer and resident, was found stabbed to death in her home on Iuka Avenue after a neighbor went to check on her.
In response to the recent high-profile crimes, the university announced a new slate of safety resources in September, including the hiring and training of five additional police officers and expanding off-campus patrols. Ohio State says those additional changes will cost the university about $2 million.
Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.
shendrix@dispatch.com
@sheridan120
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What were Ohio State's crime numbers in 2022?
