UW Oshkosh saw an increase in burglary, drug-related arrests and other offenses compared to last year, according to the annual Clery Report published by the UWO Police Department Sept. 30.

“Campuses across the country have safety issues,” UWO Police Chief Tarmann said. “It’s just a vulnerable space […] You will actually stay safer just by being aware of what’s going on around you.”

The Clery Act requires colleges that receive federal funding to release campus crime statistics and other safety information in annual security reports (ASRs) by Oct. 1.

These annual security reports (ASRs) must also include policy statements regarding crime reporting, campus facility security and access, law enforcement authority, incidence of alcohol and drug use and the prevention of/response to sexual assault, domestic or dating violence and stalking.

The number of drug arrests saw one of the most significant increases in the report, with a total of 22 arrests in 2023 compared to none in 2022. 

Tarmann said this trend might be attributed to UWOPD’s focus on handling drug-related violations by introducing more training and awareness on the topic.

“The drugs that are out in our communities are so very dangerous right now that we’re putting a little more attention in that,” he said. “So, that will cause an increase to occur.”

Another possibility for the influx in drug arrests, Tarmann noted, could be due to the end of UW Oshkosh’s Drug Diversion Program. This program allowed students charged with marijuana to keep their charges from being filed by successfully going six months drug-free with random screenings.

“That can change how drugs are reported inside of a Clery Report, even though we maybe are getting consistent activity,” he said. “There’s a lot of factors involved there.”

There was also an uptick in burglary this year, with three offenses in 2023 after having none in 2022.

Tarmann said that reports of burglary can be complicated because personal items will go missing, but owners don’t know if it was taken by another individual.

“Sometimes we’ll get a report […] where somebody knew something was missing, but they actually couldn’t tell us whether or not it was taken by somebody else,” he said.

All three burglary reports occurred in resident halls. To combat the risk of burglary in resident halls, Tarmann urged students to be diligent about locking their doors.

Other offenses also saw slight shifts upwards from the previous year, including alcohol referrals (increased from 406 to 503), liquor-related arrests (increased from zero to three), weapon-related arrests (increased from zero to two) and domestic violence (increased from one to two.)

However, the number of fondling offenses and weapon referrals decreased slightly, from five cases to two. The amount of rape offenses in 2023 (six offenses) stayed the same from 2022.

Clery Center Senior Director of Programs Laura Egan said that though there is important information in the ASR, these reports are not necessarily indicative of how much crime is actually occuring on 

“It’s important to note that the statistics represent the number of reported incidents and not necessarily findings,” she said.

While high numbers of reports can sometimes create fear that crime is on the rise, they can also suggest an increased awareness about what should be reported, Egan said.

“What’s going up is belief and trust in a system that it’s worth the time to make a report, which is positive,” she said.

In order to comply with the Clery Act, UWOPD was also required to report on initiatives to prevent and respond to campus crime. 

Tarmann highlighted some safety resources for people on campus, including a 24/7 chat on the UWO mobile app, blue light emergency phones and a safe ride service called UWO Go. 

UWO also designated over a hundred more parking spots specifically for resident students to reduce their need to walk far distances to their cars.

Tarmann said these programs have been heavily utilized by students and have remained successful even though the UWOPD staff was slightly reduced after university budget cuts in early 2023.

“We had open positions that we could no longer recruit for, so we just didn’t fill those positions,” Tarmann said. 

Tarmann said that it’s too early to tell if fewer police personnel will impact campus security, but safety will remain the foremost concern of UWOPD.

“We’ve had to shave some things off of what we do, but safety is not going to be one of those,” he said. “It’s always going to be our focal point.”