The past year of crimes committed at Penn is now available to view

Each year, the Division of Public Safety releases the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, as required by the Clery Act of 1990.

This year’s report, which includes crimes that occurred in 2015, covers offenses as varied as sexual assault, drug referrals and hate crimes, and includes crimes committed to students who are abroad and to students on the Wharton School’s San Francisco campus.

Disciplinary referrals for drug violations went down 48 percent in 2015, to 175 referrals. Drug referrals were still much higher than in 2013, 2012 and 2011, which all had an average of 17 referrals. Disciplinary referrals for alcohol-related violations totaled 558, slightly more than the 550 referrals in 2014 and significantly more than the average of 218 referrals in 2013, 2012 and 2011.

Penn uses the annual Clery report to announce policy changes and new programs related to student safety, discipline, alcohol and other drugs, awareness and various other services. In accordance with the Clery Act and the Department of Education’s oversight, it also informs prospective students and Penn parents about student safety.

This year, Penn removed sexual assault from the Office of Student Conduct’s oversight and expanded the Penn Violence Prevention office.

A combination of many different organizations at Penn work with the Department of Public Safety to collect data on specific crimes as detailed by the Clery Act.

“We are fortunate to have Penn Clery Compliance team to work with,” Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. “We always want to ensure the accuracy of the report, which the team accomplishes.”

However, not all the crime that occurs in the Penn Patrol Zone is reported as a result of the specific categories of crime that the Clery Act designates.