Annual Crime Report Shows Drop in Sexual Assaults at Penn State

A federally mandated annual crime report released by Penn State shows a drop in sexual assaults at University Park.

Penn State officials released on Tuesday the 2014 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report for all campuses. The report shows there were 28 sexual assaults reported at University Park in 2013, which is down from 63 in 2012 and 30 incidents in 2011.

University officials have said 36 of the 63 incidents reported in 2012 occurred in earlier years and a number of the allegations can be attributed to the crimes of convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State football coach. The university says 11 of the 30 forcible sex offenses reported in 2011 also were attributable to prior year offenses.

You can read the report HERE.

The Clery Act is a federal law related to campus safety that requires colleges and universities to, among other things, collect and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses. Compliance is monitored by the U.S. Department of Education.

Gabriel Gates, the university’s Clery compliance manager, says additional Clery Act training at Penn State has led to greater awareness, including how to report crimes and the resources available to victims and witnesses of crime.

“As a result of our efforts, I have seen an improvement in the awareness levels of those who work and learn at Penn State every day,” says Gates. “In fact, general awareness related to reporting a wide variety of crimes has increased at Penn State. Nationally, the issue of sexual assault on university campuses has come to the forefront, which is a good thing.”

Gates also said that nearly all other crimes remained level or declined at University Park, including a drop in alcohol arrests from 834 in 2012 to 750 in 2013.

Meanwhile, State College and Penn State police have received at least three sexual assault reports and one indecent assault report over the last week, including an incident where the victim says she was walking on campus and attacked.

The incident reportedly happened about 11:15 p.m. Friday near the Hammond Building on campus, which is adjacent to College Avenue and Burrowes Road.

Police say the victim, who is a Penn State student, was walking down the sidewalk when a stranger approached her. The suspect threw the victim on the ground, sexually assaulted her and then fled on foot toward Allen Street, police say.

Police described the suspect as a college aged, white male, who is roughly 5-feet 6-inches tall with blonde hair, a muscular build, and a full beard. The suspect was wearing a button down style shirt.

Anyone who can assist with the Penn State police investigation can call 814-863-1111 or do so anonymously HERE by clicking on “Report A Crime.”

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