Fordham’s Department of Public Safety published its Annual Security and Fire Safety Compliance Documents in an email to the university community on Sept. 30. This report was provided in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and outlined safety tips, reporting procedures, incidences of crime and fire, and Title IX procedures, alongside other policies and procedures noted in the tables of contents. 

Under the Clery Act, which was put into effect in 1990, universities are mandated to publicly disclose all information related to certain crimes that occurred on or near their campuses. Felonies that are categorized under the Clery Act include incidents that happened on campus, in residence halls, in non-campus buildings, and on the public property adjacent to the campus. 

Public Safety, according to the report, has a close relationship with local New York City police precincts and New York police departments surrounding its campuses: the 20th precinct near the Lincoln Center campus, the 48th and 52nd precincts near the Rose Hill campus, and the Harrison Police Department near the Westchester campus. Robert Dineen, associate vice president for Public Safety, stated that information regarding incidents occurring on public property had been obtained by records that are reviewed and maintained by Public Safety’s local precincts.

According to Dineen, Public Safety had 15 crimes reported under the Clery Act in the 2021-22 academic year, which is five fewer than the 20 crimes reported in the 2020-21 academic year. 

Within the report, a chart outlined the number of reported crimes from 2019 to 2021 across the Lincoln Center, Rose Hill, Westchester, Calder and the university’s study abroad campuses. The crimes documented on the Rose Hill campus in 2021 included four cases of aggravated assault with one occurring on campus and three on public property; four burglary cases occuring on campus; four cases of motor vehicle theft on public property; seven robbery cases on public property; 10 rape cases on campus within the residence halls; five fondling cases on campus; four on-campus dating violence cases; and four cases of stalking occuring on campus.  

Dineen clarified that the four reported motor vehicle thefts and the two robberies that occurred in 2021 on the public property adjacent to the Rose Hill campus did not involve members of the Fordham community.

The report also included a section specifically on safety, which categorized different protocols that adhere to the university’s procedures in order to “promote a safe campus and a high quality of life.” This included information on drug and alcohol use, alcohol possession and consumption, and substance abuse, as well as substance abuse prevention and student support. 

The Rose Hill campus reported 63 drug abuse violations on campus and 340 liquor law violations in 2021. This number had decreased from the 73 cases of drug abuse violations and the 561 liquor law violations that took place in 2020. 

At the Lincoln Center campus, the reported crime documented included five cases of burglary on campus, four cases of motor vehicle theft on public property, two rape cases occuring on campus in the residence halls and one case of fondling on campus. 

Dineen mentioned that the crimes of aggravated assault, dating violence, stalking, burglary and fondling showed a decrease in 2021, while those crimes of robbery and motor vehicle theft increased from the previous year. 

The drug abuse violations reported at Lincoln Center totaled at 21, and there were 40 liquor law violations in 2021.

“I believe it all starts with education, which is what we provide our university community through the publication and dissemination of the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report at the start of each academic year,” Dineen said. 

He added that the report contains a lot of information on how to stay safe and in his statement, he noted that he believes the account has a “wealth of information on protecting yourself on and off campus.”

The drug abuse violations reported at Lincoln Center totaled at 21, and there were 40 liquor law violations in 2021. This was an increase from the previous year, which saw nine drug abuse violations and 39 liquor law violations. 

Three fire incidents were reported in 2021 on the Rose Hill campus, one in Walsh Hall and two in Campbell Hall. The causes of these fire incidents were accidental and electrical stoves. No fire incidents were reported on the off-campus housing locations surrounding the Rose Hill campus or in either of the residence halls located at Lincoln Center. 

“Public Safety issues advisories to the Fordham community when they determine there is a need due to what’s happening in our external environment or what’s trending in the city” Robert Dineen, associate vice president for Public Safety

Fordham’s Westchester Campus and its Louis Calder Center had zero cases of any crime reported on or off their campus in 2021. The university’s study abroad locations in Pretoria, London and Granada also reported zero crimes in 2021. 

Public Safety issues alerts for serious crimes that occur on campus or on the public property adjacent to campus, as well as if there is the potential for a continuous or ongoing threat to the Fordham community. According to Dineen, the alert allows the university community to be informed about what happened and informs them of the appropriate precautions and the necessary precautions to take in order to protect themselves.

“Public Safety issues advisories to the Fordham community when they determine there is a need due to what’s happening in our external environment or what’s trending in the city,” Dineen said. “For example, there’s been a lot of attention and reporting on rising crime in the city, particularly when using mass transportation, as a result, we have issued mass transit safety reminders in which we offer some excellent safety tips when using mass transit.”

He advised all Fordham students to read the report for personal tips on protecting themselves on and off campus, programs to promote awareness, reporting procedures and campus contacts that can provide them with assistance.

Dineen also added that in the past, Public Safety has also issued advisories on avoiding criminal scams due to several students reporting that they fell victim to fraudulent internet transactions. He advised that all members of the university community should use caution when conducting business with anyone they don’t know, especially when it comes to online transactions. 

Public Safety, along with Student Affairs and the Office of Residential Life, also conducts safety presentations during new student orientation to provide new students with information on how to live safely both on and off campus in New York City, according to Dineen. He advised all Fordham students to read the report for personal tips on protecting themselves on and off campus, programs to promote awareness, reporting procedures and campus contacts that can provide them with assistance.

“Our students should know that their safety is a top priority here at Fordham, and we in Public Safety take that responsibility very seriously,” he said. “Our students can be certain that the entire Public Safety Department maintains that focus around the clock every day of the year.”