Update as of Nov. 4: Texas State released a revision of its 2024 Annual Security and Safety Report showing a decrease in burglary and hate crimes on Nov. 4 as compared to its original publication on Sept. 26.

Texas State released its 2024 Annual Security & Fire Safety Report that outlines reported crimes for the past three calendar years that occurred on and off the San Marcos and Round Rock campuses on Thursday, Sept. 26.

The Annual Security & Fire Safety Report is split into four categories: primary crimes, arrests and referrals, hate crimes and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) offenses.

Texas State reported 29 rapes in 2023, all on campus and of which 28 were specifically in residential facilities on campus. This is a nearly 28% decrease from 40 rapes in 2022, of which 38 were on campus.

The university also reported 14 fondling cases in 2023 and 23 in 2022 – all on campus. 

Aggravated assault cases increased by approximately 28% from 36 in 2022 to 46 in 2023, of which 42 were on campus, two were off campus and two were on public property. According to the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report, public property includes “thoroughfares, streets, sidewalks and parking facilities, that is within the campus or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.”

There was an increase to seven hate crimes in 2023 compared to six in 2022. Of the seven, Texas State reported one vandalism incident characterized by sexual orientation on campus, one vandalism incident for religious reasons on campus, two vandalism incidents connected to race on campus, one intimidation incident connected to sexual orientation on campus, a vandalism incident connected to sexual orientation at a student housing facility and one theft related to national origin also at a student housing facility.

Texas State reported a decrease in burglaries from 32 in 2022 to 26 in 2023 – 25 were on campus and one was off campus. Robberies decreased from two in 2022 to one in 2023.

Liquor law violation arrests saw a slight uptick from 14 in 2022 to 15 in 2023 – all on campus. So did drug law violation arrests from 112 in 2022 to 114 in 2023.

The number of reported arson cases doubled, rising from one in 2022 to two in 2023.

All VAWA offenses increased from 2022 to 2023. Dating violence increased from eight in 2022 to nine in 2023. Stalking increased from 50 in 2022 to 61 in 2023. According to Shilpa Bakre, director of internal communications, online stalking fits under the scope of the offense.

“The definition of stalking is wider, with the intention of obviously, hopefully getting more reporting,” Bakre said. 

Domestic violence increased from 34 in 2022 to 39 in 2023. In 2023, all 39 instances happened on campus. 

“In the state of Texas, roommates are included within the domestic violence statute,” Pam Jacobs, Texas State’s Clery Act compliance officer said. “If there is a roommate squabble that becomes physical or has some factor of violence to it that goes on our domestic violence account.”

According to Jacobs, when a crime is reported and falls within the four categories outlined by the Clery Act, it is included in the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report, regardless of the outcome of a police investigation. However, the report also features a section for unfounded crimes — those dismissed after further investigation. In 2023, no crimes were classified as unfounded.

While anyone can report a Clery crime on the University Police Department (UPD) website, Jacobs said UPD along with campus security authorities (CSAs) are the only ones required to do so. Faculty members are not CSAs unless they are also advisors of a student organization.

“Part of the rationale behind having CSAs is to provide students a different option of who to go to, to report if [they] don’t want to go to the police…,” Jacobs said. “In housing [for example], all the RAs are CSAs, and they’re trained.” 

Texas State revised the 2023 Annual Security and Fire Safety report a month after its original publication on Sept. 27, 2023. According to an email from Jacobs to faculty, staff and students, the updated report was a result of “further review of Texas State documents and reports received from local law enforcement agencies.”

The U.S. Department of Education also investigated Texas State for failing to accurately report crime statistics in 2016 and 2017. In response, the university implemented changes in 2019 by introducing the eFORCE system and hiring staff to monitor Clery Act numbers daily. 

“We implemented a Clery [Act] Data Integrity Subcommittee, and we’ve added several positions,” Bakre said. “The way that we hold ourselves accountable and in compliance has drastically changed and improved since 2016 or 2017.”

One of those positions is Jacobs’ position, which was established in 2020, according to Bakre.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, established by Congress in 1990, was named after Jeanne Clery, a college freshman who was raped and murdered in her dorm in 1986 at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Her death brought national attention to unreported campus crimes, leading to stricter requirements for crime reporting and campus safety.