2021 MIT Police security and fire safety report released
Total number of criminal offenses fell by 35 between 2018 and 2019
The MIT Police Department released its Annual Security and Fire Safety Report Oct. 1. Per the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the report includes policies relating to community safety, security, and misconduct; options for reporting crimes; resources for victims of violent crimes; and statistics about crimes at and around MIT’s campus. The 2021 report includes statistics from 2018–2020.
The crime statistics disclosed in the report are collected from crimes reported directly to the MIT Police and from other campus offices, such as the Office of the Dean for Student Life, Student Support Services, Residential Life, and MIT Medical.
The total number of criminal offenses reported on campus, in non campus locations, and on public property adjacent to MIT fell from 89 in 2018 to 54 in 2019 and to 17 in 2020, when campus density was significantly reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The most common type of criminal offense reported at MIT was burglary in all three years, followed by rape and fondling.
There were 42 burglary reports in 2018, decreasing to 23 in 2019 and five in 2020.
The number of reports of rape was 22 in 2018, 13 in 2019, and three in 2020. 13 of the reports of rape in 2018 and 12 in 2019 were from on-campus residence halls.
There were 11 reports of fondling in 2018, five in 2019, and three in 2020. Like reports of rape, most of the reports of fondling were made from residence halls.
In 2018, there were eight reports of motor vehicle theft, which decreased to three reports in 2019 and one in 2020.
Reports of aggravated assault increased from three in 2018 to five in 2019 and then decreased to three in 2020.
The report also includes Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) offenses, which increased from 33 in 2018 to 34 in 2019. The number of VAWA offenses in 2020 was 10. The number of cases of domestic violence grew from 11 in 2018 to 17 in 2019, and the number of cases of stalking decreased from 19 in 2018 to 13 in 2019. Dating violence reports increased from three to four from 2018 to 2019.
The majority of VAWA offenses occurred in campus residence halls.
Arrests and disciplinary referrals increased from 44 in 2018 to 63 in 2019. In 2018, there were 43 cases of liquor law violations (with one arrest) and one case of drug abuse violation. In 2019, there were 57 cases of liquor law violations, four cases of drug abuse violations, and two cases relating to weapons. There were no arrests in 2019.
There were two fires in residence halls from 2018–2020, one in 2018 and one in 2020.
No hate crime related to disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, national origin, religious, or sexual orientation was reported by the MIT Police from 2018–2020.
Crime reports can be made to the MIT Police at (617)-253-1212 or anonymously at (617)-258-8477.