Crime Statistics

Crime Statistics & Crime Rates

Sarah Lawrence College is a relatively safe campus. The near absence of violent crime on campus should not lead to complacency about security, nor should our leafy neighborhood obscure the fact that Sarah Lawrence is an urban campus. Our quaint academic village is located in New York's fourth largest city, on the edge of the country's largest city. The problems of urban life manifest themselves on campus in the form of break-ins, thefts and harassment of students on Kimball Avenue and other city streets by people in passing cars.

Policies For Preparing The Annual Disclosure Of Crime Statistics

As required by federal law, Sarah Lawrence College's yearly crime statistics for this report are compiled by the Sarah Lawrence College Department of Public Safety & Security on a calendar-year basis and in accordance with the definitions of crimes provided by the FBI for use in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system. These statistics include the previous 3 years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus, in the college’s non-campus buildings and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. In addition, statistics are gathered from reported crimes to the security officers, crimes reported to other campus officials with significant responsibility for student and campus activities (i.e. Student Affairs, Housing, Judicial affairs, Career Counseling, College Events, Community partnerships, athletic coaches, Deans, Human Resources, Health Services, and advisors to students/student organizations), as well as those crimes reported to the local police precincts (Yonkers Police Department).  These statistics also include persons referred for campus disciplinary action for categories required under the Cleary Act including liquor law violations, drug law violations and illegal weapons possession.

2009-2011 Statistics

The Jeanne Clery Act requires colleges to publish yearly security reports which include campus crime statistics for the past three years and specific campus security policy disclosures.  Each year, an email notification is made to all enrolled students, current faculty and staff that provides a link to the college web site in order to access this report.  The Advisory Committee on Campus Safety will provide upon request a hard copy of all campus crime statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education. If an individual requires such a copy, he/she should call the Office of the College's Director of Public Safety & Security at (914) 395-2384. The copy will be sent free of charge within ten days of the request. Sarah Lawrence College's crime statistics and those of other U.S. Colleges can also be found at the United States Department of Education's Web site address http://www.ope.ed.gov/security.

Definitions of Crimes

Murder and Non-Negligent Manslaughter. Defined as the willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.

Negligent Manslaughter. Defined as the killing of another person through gross negligence.

Sex Offenses—Forcible. Defined as any sexual act directed against another person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent. There are four types of forcible sex offenses:

• Forcible Rape is the carnal knowledge of a person, forcibly and/or against that person's will; or not forcibly or against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (or because of his/her youth). This offense includes the forcible rape of both males and females.
• Forcible Sodomy is oral or anal sexual intercourse with another person, forcibly and/or against that person's will; or not forcibly or against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.
• Sexual Assault With an Object is the use of an object or instrument to unlawfully penetrate, however slightly, the genital or anal opening of the body of another person, forcibly and/or against that person's will; or not forcibly or against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity. An object or instrument is anything used by the offender other than the offender’s genitalia. Examples are a finger, bottle, handgun, stick, etc.
• Forcible Fondling is the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, forcibly and/or against that person's will; or, not forcibly or against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity. Forcible fondling includes “indecent liberties” and “child molesting.”

Sex Offenses—Non-forcible. Incidents of unlawful, nonforcible sexual intercourse. Only two types of offenses are included in this definition:

• Incest is non-forcible sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.
• Statutory Rape is non-forcible sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent. If force was used or threatened, or the victim was incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth, or temporary or permanent mental impairment, the offense should be classified as forcible rape, not statutory rape

Robbery. Robbery is the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.

Aggravated Assault. Aggravated assault is an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm.

Burglary. Burglary is the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. The UCR classifies offenses locally known as Burglary (any degree); unlawful entry with intent to commit a larceny or felony; breaking and entering with intent to commit a larceny; housebreaking; safecracking; and all attempts at these offenses as Burglary.

Motor Vehicle Theft. Motor vehicle theft is the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.

Arson. Arson is any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.

Hate Crimes in the Following Categories

Larceny-theft (except motor vehicle theft)—The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. Examples are thefts of bicycles or automobile accessories, shoplifting, pocket-picking, or the stealing of any property or article which is not taken by force and violence or by fraud. Attempted larcenies are included. Embezzlement, confidence games, forgery, worthless checks, etc., are excluded.

Simple Assault—An unlawful physical attack by one person upon another where neither the offender displays a weapon, nor the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness.

Intimidation—To unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack.

Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property—To willfully or maliciously destroy, damage, deface, or otherwise injure real or personal property without the consent of the owner or the person having custody or control of it.

Hate Crimes Categories

• Race. A preformed negative attitude toward a group of persons who possess common physical characteristics (e.g., color of skin, eyes, and/or hair; facial features, etc.) genetically transmitted by descent and heredity which distinguish them as a distinct division of humankind (e.g., Asians, blacks, whites).
• Gender. A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons because those persons are male or female. Gender bias is also a Clery Act-specific term, not found in the FBI’s Hate Crime Data Collection Guidelines.
• Religion. A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons who share the same religious beliefs regarding the origin and purpose of the universe and the existence or nonexistence of a supreme being (e.g., Catholics, Jews, Protestants, atheists).
• Sexual orientation. A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons based on their sexual attraction toward, and responsiveness to, members of their own sex or members of the opposite sex (e.g., gays, lesbians, heterosexuals).
• Ethnicity/national origin. A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons of the same race or national origin who share common or similar traits, languages, customs and traditions (e.g., Arabs, Hispanics).
• Disability. A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons based on their physical or mental impairments/challenges, whether such disability is temporary or permanent, congenital or acquired by heredity, accident, injury, advanced age or illness.

Classifying a crime as a Hate Crime is sometimes difficult.

Criminal Offenses—On Campus

Numbers indicate total occurrences on campus per year

Criminal Offenses—On Campus: Student Housing Facilities

Numbers indicate total occurrences in residence halls per year

Criminal Offenses—Non-Campus

Numbers indicate total occurrences in or on non-campus buildings or properties per year.

Criminal Offenses—Public Property

Numbers indicate total occurrences on public property per year

Hate Crimes—On Campus

Numbers indicate occurrences of hate crimes per year; categories of bias are for crimes reported in 2011

Hate Crimes—On Campus: Student Housing Facilities

Numbers indicate occurrences of hate crimes per year.

Hate Crimes—Public Property

Numbers indicate occurrences of hate crimes per year.

Hate Crimes—Non-Campus

Numbers indicate occurrences of hate crimes per year.

Arrests—On Campus

Numbers indicate arrests per year

Arrests—On Campus: Student Housing Facilities

Numbers indicate arrests per year

Arrests—Non-Campus

Numbers indicate arrests per year.

Arrests—Public Property

Numbers indicate arrests per year

Disciplinary Actions—On Campus

Numbers indicate persons referred for disciplinary action per year

Disciplinary Actions—On Campus: Student Housing Facilities

Numbers indicate persons referred for disciplinary action per year

Disciplinary Actions—Non-Campus

Numbers indicate persons referred for disciplinary action per year.

Disciplinary Actions—Public Property

Numbers indicate persons referred for disciplinary action per year