The Department of Public Safety released the annual Security and Fire Safety Report for 2023-24 on Sept. 29. The report lays out the university’s safety policies and includes statistics for all crime and fire incidents on Fordham campuses ranging from 2020-2022.
Associate Vice President of Public Safety Robert Fitzer notified the Fordham community of the report via email.
Fitzer said the report is produced annually by the public safety office.
Fitzer said, “This report is required under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). The report outlines safety tips, reporting procedures, incidences of crime and fire, and Title IX procedures and other policies and procedures.”
The contents of the report also includes a list of university authority figures and explains the university-wide investigative reporting process.
The report also provides a list of university safety features. The list boasts amenities including Fordham’s extensive Emergency Blue-Light Telephone System, State-of-the-Art Emergency Notification System and Off-Campus Shuttle Service.
The crime statistics portion of the report breaks down incidents according to each of Fordham’s campuses: Rose Hill, Lincoln Center, Westchester, the Louis Calder Center, Fordham in London, Fordham in Granada and Fordham in Pretoria.
The university recognized a rise in the number of crime incidents on the Rose Hill campus from 2021 to 2022.
The rise was most notably seen in the number of burglary incidents, motor vehicle thefts, rape incidents, drug abuse violations and weapon possesion incidents. The university also reported a rise from zero on-campus hate crimes in 2021 to one on-campus hate crime in 2022.
The university also saw a rise in the number of crime incidents on the Lincoln Center campus. The rise from 2021 to 2022 was most notably seen in motor vehicle thefts, rape incidents, domestic and dating violence offenses, stalking offenses and liquor law violations.
Fitzer commented on the rise in incident numbers:
“We have experienced increased Clery incidents at our Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, mainly attributable to a rise in vehicle thefts in our area. The increase is driven by the proliferation of electric scooters on campus last year, many of which were reported stolen from in front of our buildings and lobbies. (Electric scooters are classified as motor vehicles under federal guidelines.) We also saw an increase in robberies: the majority of these incidents did not involve Fordham community members, but the University is required to report crimes that occur on the sidewalks and streets adjacent to Fordham property.”
In comparison to the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, the Westchester, Louis Calder Center, London, Granada and Pretoria campuses reported few to none crimes.
Fitzer said Public Safety published the report to be used as a helpful resource for the Fordham community.
Fitzer said, “The goal is to provide a safe learning environment and keep students, parents and employees well informed about campus security. It also provides a resource for prospective students and employees to make informed decisions in their college search process.”
Fordham students agreed that publishing the report gives students access to helpful statistics.
Nicolette Scarlotta, FCRH ’26, had not previously heard of the annual report, but feels that it is important that Public Safety continues to publish the data. She also added that she thinks the incident reports should be better publicized to the Fordham community.
Scarlotta said, “I feel like maybe they could send a little more information about it. Usually we get just one email every few weeks that says ‘this happened at Lincoln Center or this happened a few blocks from campus.’ It is helpful to know, but maybe they should send out a little bit more information so that students are more aware.”
Fitzer emphasized that the Public Safety Office will continue working with the Fordham community to ensure safety of all individuals.
“Public Safety members are committed to ensuring the well-being of everyone on campus. The information in this report helps our community to maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone,” said Fitzer.
