The Cal State LA Public Safety Department sent a school-wide email on Sept. 15 containing the 2024 annual security report, which outlines information on crime statistics spanning from 2021 to 2023 for the main campus as well as off campus extension buildings.
The report documented a noticeable upward trend in motor vehicle theft — a total of seven incidents in 2021 climbed to 19 in 2022, again surging to a total of 25 incidents in 2023.
Crime mapping.com, a public online tool used to track crime trends based on location, showed a total of 101 larceny incidents within a two mile radius of Cal State LA within the last 50 days. Of these numbers, motor vehicle theft comprises over half of the crimes committed.
Back in March, Cal State LA issued a campus wide email regarding an attempted car-jacking in Parking Lot 4, raising students’ concerns on campus safety..
Despite the recent report, the LAPD promises more reassuring numbers. The record shows a 4.3% decrease in motor vehicle theft from July to August of this year, and a 17.1% decrease in theft from vehicles.
This information is in light of a dramatic change to the records management system for local police departments. A statement released by the LAPD in March briefly explained this alternative approach to documenting crime, stating, “The introduction of the RMS will bring changes to how we analyze crime and report statistical information. The adoption of the NIBRS standard, which focuses on the number of incidents rather than the number of victims, represents a fundamental shift in data reporting.”
The change in reporting gave way to a several months-long digital blackout — with many L.A. residents and news outlets unable to access local crime statistics normally available online.
The LAPD has since then began releasing numbers to the public once again. However, the momentary gap in data and adoption of a new record keeping method has painted a hazy picture of crime trends across Los Angeles. A statement from the police department to LA Magazine states, “The reinstated data includes 4-week period comparisons [that] cannot be directly compared due to different reporting standards.”
Cal State LA encourages students to report any crimes they have witnessed. Campus security will continue to frequent the surrounding parking structures, while “blue light” emergency phones remain located across campus. The University Police can also be contacted at 323-343-3700.
This article was first published in the September 26 print edition of the University Times.
