The number of the most serious violent crimes at UC Davis campus and its medical center in Sacramento increased last year, as measured by the FBI Crime Index in an annual report of crimes at UC campuses.

This total rose from seven in 2002 to 22 in 2003. As in 2002, no homicides occurred. Attempted rapes rose from none to one; rapes were unchanged at one; robberies rose from one to five; and aggravated assaults rose from four to 16.

Incidents of 20 other offenses -- from simple assault to trespass and public drunkenness -- increased, from 583 in 2002 to 638 in 2003.

The vast majority of those arrested in all incidents had no affiliation with UC Davis.

In 2003 UC Davis dispatchers received more than 63,000 police calls for service and more than 1,100 fire-suppression calls at the campus in Davis and the medical center in Sacramento.

"In our efforts to create a safe environment, we have been working closely with the U.S. Office of Homeland Security and with California's Anti-Terrorism Information Center," said Calvin Handy, chief of the UC Davis Police Department.

"Sharing tactical information among agencies enables us to disseminate information quickly and efficiently to the campus community. Additionally we received a $50,000 Homeland Security grant that enabled us to obtain law enforcement equipment," Handy said. Officers will now have access to protective clothing when dealing with hazardous materials, and a police dog will be added to the patrol unit.

Crimes at the campus and medical center reported to police are counted according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, used by law enforcement agencies throughout the state. The FBI Crime Index tallies incidents of the eight most serious violent crimes and property crimes.

Violent crimes

According to the FBI reporting program, violent crime represented less than 1 percent of all crimes reported at UC Davis.

The 22 incidents of violent crime included one rape, five robberies and 16 aggravated assaults. The rape, two robberies and one aggravated assault were reported on the Davis campus. Three robberies and 15 aggravated assaults were reported at the medical center in Sacramento.

The aggravated assault on campus occurred on the sidewalk near an intramural sports field. A UC Davis student victim was struck with a knife thrown from a passing vehicle. The victim sustained a laceration to the leg. No suspect was identified.

In the assaults at the medical center, the victims were police officers, medical staff and a medical center visitor. No life-threatening injuries were sustained.

Property crimes

Burglary: Burglaries went from 95 reported in 2002 to 90 in 2003. The majority of burglaries that occurred weren't by forced entries, and keys were possibly used. "We attribute some of the decrease to our continuing efforts to encourage crime reporting to police," said Handy. The number of motor vehicle thefts decreased from 55 to 40.

Larceny: Bicycle theft increased slightly, from 347 in 2002 to 369 in 2003. Other thefts decreased from 494 to 451. Stereos, CDs and cellular phones were the most commonly taken items. Entry was most often made by breaking windows and punching out vehicle locks.

The value of property stolen from both the campus and its medical center in Sacramento decreased from $849,461 in 2002 to $758,553 in 2003. Twenty-three percent of the property was recovered within the year. Of the $255,356 in university property stolen in 2003, police recovered $41,886.

Arson: In the six arsons in 2003, approximately $32,000 in property loss was reported.

In addition, arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs decreased from 58 to 47. Seventeen of those arrests were made in Davis.

University affiliation

For all criminal offenses committed during 2003, UC Davis police officers arrested 354 people. Of the 26 arrested for the most serious violent and property crimes, 17 were affiliated with the main campus or medical center as a student or employee. Of the 328 arrested for other offenses, 21 were affiliated with the university.

Other highlights

Other highlights of the police department's activities in 2003 include the following:

• Campus Violence Prevention Program: This unit provides education and outreach about the realities of sexual violence, hate- or bias-related activity and relationship violence, focusing on prevention through education. The program's primary mission is to eliminate these forms of violence and, in the interim, to ensure that support services are available for survivors. This unit provides workshops, classes and counseling. It also produced a video for members of the campus community that focuses on violence against women.
• Criminal Investigations Unit: The primary function of this unit is to investigate crimes on the college campus in Yolo and Solano Counties and at the medical center in Sacramento. As part of its participation in a federal grant, this unit provides a detective assigned to investigate violent crimes committed against women. The unit continues to work with the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, which is managed by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. The task force investigates identity theft issues and computer crimes.
• Emergency Preparedness: In 2003, this unit completed a campuswide terrorism threat assessment as well as a campus evacuation plan.
• CALEA: The police department is participating in the Commission Accreditation Law Enforcement Agency, which has established a foundation of best practices and standards by improving management procedures as well as community cooperation and coordination. The overall purpose of the commission's accreditation program is to improve delivery of law enforcement by offering a body of standards, developed by practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date topics. The primary benefits of accreditation include controlled liability insurance costs, administrative improvements, greater accountability from supervisors, and increased governmental and community support.

Clery statistics

In the fall, UC Davis also publishes statistics according to the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.

Clery Act reporting requirements include not only crimes reported to or known to police, but also those incidents reported to other campus officials with significant responsibility for campus and security activities such as coaches and academic advisers.

In addition to incidents occurring on campus, the Clery Act report will include those taking place on public property adjacent to and easily accessible from campus and on property owned or controlled by recognized student groups such as fraternities and sororities. The report also covers disciplinary referrals for liquor, drug and weapons violations.