Crimes on campus generally remained at stable figures in 2024 compared to the previous two years, according to the University of Idaho’s annual Clery report.
The report is required by federal law, known as the Clery Act, to provide campuses with crime statistics from the previous year and security information for the upcoming academic year.
UI’s 2025 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report was emailed to all UI faculty, staff and students on Monday, Sept. 29, which contained safety information and crime statistics for all six campuses for the 2023-24 academic year. The report showed an increase in disciplinary referrals and a decrease in arrests for liquor law and drug abuse violations.
Statistics are separated into campus, non-campus and public property violations; non-campus being defined as properties within the main UI campus boundary that are monitored and patrolled by Moscow Police Department but are not owned by UI. Data from 2022 and 2023 was also included.
On-campus arrests for liquor law violations dropped from 35 in 2022 to 15 in 2024. Non-campus and public property arrests were significantly higher in 2023, compared to 2022 numbers, and dropped to their lowest in 2024 at two and 11 arrests, respectively.
On-campus arrests for drug abuse violations declined from 20 in 2022 to eight in 2024 with spikes in non-campus and public property violations in 2023. There were significantly fewer arrests at three each in 2024.
In contrast, disciplinary referrals for the same categories have increased. On-campus liquor law violations rose from 44 in 2022 to 80 in 2023 and 59 in 2024. Non-campus referrals went from five in 2022 to eight in 2024, with an extreme spike of 82 in 2023.
Drug abuse violation referrals increased from 10 in 2022 to 17 in 2024 with no 2024 instances on non-campus locations and two on public property.
Reported on-campus rape cases rose from zero in 2022 to seven in 2023 to eight in 2024, and had zero non-campus offenses. Domestic violence declined from six on campus and five non-campus offenses in 2022 to two and one offenses in 2024 respectively. Stalking had four on campus offenses and one non-campus offense, which were similar numbers to previous years.
Motor vehicle theft rose to 7 on campus instances in 2024. Burglary, robbery, arson and murder all had zero instances in 2024. The fire safety report showed that there had been zero fires in the 2022-2024 academic years.
On the Coeur d’Alene UI campus, 13 on campus and 15 non-campus drug abuse violation arrests were made in 2024, compared to zero in previous years.
In an email interview with The Argonaut, UI Director of Clery Compliance Shane Keen said, “We want students to know that their safety is our top priority—and that it’s a shared responsibility. This year’s report highlights not only the resources and reporting options available to enhance campus security, but also the importance of awareness, engagement and communication.”
Keen reminds students to use the UI programs and resources provided for students, such as Vandal Alert, Safe Walk and RAVE Guardian app.
UI’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report isn’t unique in showing changes in campus drug abuse violation referrals. Idaho State University’s 2024 report showed a similar trend, with a rise from four referrals in 2023 to 12 in 2024. The ISU report showed two on-campus fires, both due to cooking accidents.
In contrast, Boise State University has reported a notable decline. The BSU Security and Fire Safety Report listed 38 on-campus drug law referrals in 2022, dropping to just six in 2024.
A policy revision was made to the UI Student Code of Conduct, FSH 2300, in 2023 with specifications on drugs and controlled substances. The revision was made to explicitly say, “A violation may also occur when the odor of an illegal or controlled substance or drug is present when more than one individual can reasonably trace it to a specific individual.”
Students, staff and faculty can access the full report on the UI website under public safety, security and parking. The report contains resources on how to make reports and counseling options for those affected.
Scarlet Herway can be reached at [email protected].