UB saw an increase in domestic violence reports and a decrease in robberies and burglaries last year, an annual crime report by the University Police Department (UPD) shows. The federally mandated report highlights the statistics of violent and non-violent crimes on all three campuses — North, South and Downtown — from 2021 to 2023.
Last year, UB saw a rise in domestic and dating violence (a total of 14 incidents reported in 2022, total of 50 in 2023) and a drop in robberies and burglaries (total of 44 incidents in 2022, total of 14 in 2023). Additionally, liquor violations (461 incidents in 2022, 394 in 2023) decreased and drug violations (one in 2022, 16 in 2023) increased.
Domestic violence incidents increased from three in 2022 to 25 in 2023, an approximately 700% increase.
In an email to The Spectrum, Deputy Chief of Police for Investigations Carl Lundin said domestic violence cases are underreported, making them “extremely difficult for law enforcement professionals to predict.”
“The crime usually occurs in private, between intimate partners, and law enforcement is usually not notified until the incident is occurring or has already occurred,” Lundin said. “Many incidents occur without warning and small rises and falls in annual numbers are not always reflective of trends.”
Burglaries (42 incidents in 2022 and 14 in 2023) and robberies (two in 2022 and none in 2023) decreased. Motor vehicle thefts, updated to include electric bicycles and scooters, spiked from four in 2022 to 31 reported incidents in 2023.
Lundin attributed the drop in burglaries and robberies to a “small group of individuals.”
“Once action was taken against this group, burglaries dropped significantly,” he wrote.
2023 saw two hate crime reports, while the previous two years reported none. Both crimes happened on North Campus, with one crime consisting of graffiti drawn in the dust of a parked vehicle and another reporting posters and flyers attributing false quotes to an individual.
Victims of crimes involving sexual misconduct can report cases to the University Police Department by calling 716-645-2222, submitting an anonymous form or calling the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office at 716-645-2266.
Members of the UB community can report crimes by calling the University Police Department at 716-645-2222, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Amy Aracena is a copy editor and can be reached at amy.aracena@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
