Police tracked multiple gropings on the Charles River Campus last year to two people who were not affiliated with BU. Photo by Kate Kotlyar (COM’26)

University News

Groping Cases Are Up, Liquor Violations Down, in BU’s 2023 Security Report

Annual report is mandated by the federal Clery Act

Gropings spiked on BU’s campuses last year, with the Medical Campus seeing 22 forcible fondlings after two years without any reported cases of that crime, the University’s annual security report says.

The Charles River Campus (CRC) had 21 reported fondlings, almost double the 11 in 2022 and almost triple the 8 in 2021, according to the report.

“Our data indicate there was an increase in reported assaults at [Boston] Medical Center, says Robert Lowe, chief of the Boston University Police Department (BUPD). “Additionally, there were two separate non-[BU] affiliates that were connected to two separate series of incidents at the CRC.”

Liquor law violations on the CRC meanwhile continued dropping. There were 282 in 2023, versus 332 the previous year and 533 in 2021. 

“Our top priority is to create a safe environment where students feel empowered to seek help,” Lowe says. “We embrace a prevention, intervention, and diversion public health approach to alcohol abuse. In doing so, we provide education on the dangers of alcohol abuse and participate in community engagement activities to prevent incidents where arrests are necessary.”

Motor vehicle thefts on the Medical Campus also dropped: just one last year, as opposed to three and nine, respectively, in each of the prior two years.

The report also tracks reported residential fires. There were 12 on the Charles River and Fenway Campuses last year, versus 10 and 11 in each of the prior two years. There were none on the Medical Campus, which, aside from one in 2021, has been fire-free since 2017.

The annual report is required of universities under the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. 

With theft an endemic problem on campus—there were 406 reported in 2023 and 357 in 2022—the report offers these prevention tips:

And these “five most important things” to avoid becoming a crime victim:

The annual security summary covers crimes reported to the Boston University Police Department on BU campuses, non-campus facilities, and other BU educational programs that are located outside of the Boston area. Fenway Campus statistics are included in the CRC’s statistics.

“Boston University is a safe campus,” Lowe says, “but we are situated in an urban environment and are not immune from crime. It is important for our community members to be aware of their surroundings and to alert BUPD if they see unsafe behavior. The Safety Awareness for Everyone [SAFE] initiative offers personal safety recommendations, and we encourage everyone to become familiar with this resource.”

This compilation for employees and students is required of universities under the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. The University voluntarily reports its crime indices to the FBI and to the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety, the report says.

Students who need help for stalking, domestic violence, or dating violence can contact the Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center, 930 Commonwealth Ave., at 617-353-SARP (7277) or by email at sarp@bu.edu. All services are free and information is kept confidential. In urgent situations, students can also seek help at Student Health Services Behavioral Medicine, at 617-353-3569. University employees who experience stalking, domestic violence, and dating violence can contact the Faculty & Staff Assistance Office, at 617-353-5381 or by email at sao@bu.edu. Students and staff can call the Boston University Police Department, at 617-353-2121, or the Medical Campus Public Safety Department, at 617-358-4444.