DeKALB – NIU saw a decrease in domestic violence last year, with 48 reported cases, which decreased by 29 from the year prior, according to the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report released by NIU Wednesday.

NIU released the report in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act).

The Clery Act is a federal law that requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to disclose information about crime on campus and within the university’s Clery geography.

The report reflects NIU’s compliance with federal safety requirements and includes annual crime statistics, campus security policies, fire safety information and information on resources available to victims of crime.

“NIU takes all crime seriously, and community members are encouraged to report any incident, no matter how minor it might seem, so that the appropriate actions can be taken and the necessary support, resources and preventive measures are provided,” said Interim Chief of Police Jason John in an announcement issued by the NIU Department of Police and Public Safety.

NIU’s Department of Police and Public Safety encourages the community to reach out to them with any questions or concerns at any time. The community can contact the department in person, via phone at (815) 753 -1212 or through the NIU Safe app.

The Department of Police and Public Safety noted several important considerations for community members to acknowledge before reading the report:

• The statistics reflect crimes reported, which does not indicate that an incident has been proven or investigated at the time of the report’s publication.
• Crimes are reported based on the calendar year they were reported, not the year they occurred.
• If multiple offenses are committed during a single incident, it may be counted in multiple categories.
• The category of motor vehicle thefts includes any self-propelled vehicle that runs on land, including e-bikes and e-scooters.
• Reports of robbery and burglary are included regardless of the value of the item stolen.

Primary crimes documented in the report include murder, manslaughter by negligence, rape, fondling, incest, statutory rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson.

Violence Against Women Act crimes are domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

In 2024 there were 67 primary crimes, 90 VAWA offenses, 79 disciplinary referrals and 17 arrests.

This is compared to 73 primary crimes, 105 VAWA offenses, 76 disciplinary referrals and 21 arrests in 2023.

In 2024, there were no reports of murder or manslaughter reported to the department. This remained the same from the previous two years.

There were 13 total reports of rape in 2024, down six from 2023 and down seven from 2022. Of the crimes, 12 were reported on campus and nine occurred in residence halls.

There were four reports of fondling in 2024, down 18 from 2023 and down three from 2022. Two of these incidents occurred in residence halls.

There were no reports of incest reported in 2024, the same as the two previous years.

There were no reports of statutory rape reported in 2024, down one in 2023 and the same as 2022.

There were four reports of robbery in 2024, up three from 2022 and 2023. Two of these incidents occurred in residence halls.

There were 21 reports of aggravated assault in 2024, up seven from 2023 and up 18 from 2022.

There were 16 burglaries reported in 2024, up three from 2023 and up 14 from 2022.

There were nine motor vehicle thefts reported in 2024, up seven from 2023 and up four from 2022.

In 2024, there were no reported cases of arson. This is down one from 2023 and down three from 2022.

In 2024, there were 48 reported cases of domestic violence, which is down 29 from 2023 and up nine from 2022.

There were seven reports of dating violence in 2024, up one from 2023 and up four from 2022.

There were 35 reports of stalking in 2024, up 13 from 2023 and up 28 from 2022.

There were seven weapons-related arrests in 2024, down one from 2023 and up four from 2022.

There were three drug-related arrests in 2024, down eight from 2023 and down one from 2022.

There were seven alcohol-related arrests in 2024, up five from 2023 and 2022.

There were three weapons-related disciplinary referrals in 2024, up one from 2023 and down two from 2022.

There were 23 drug-related disciplinary referrals in 2024, up three from 2023 and up four from 2022.

There were 53 alcohol-related disciplinary referrals in 2024, down one from 2023 and up 30 from 2022.

There were no hate crimes reported in 2024, which is the same as 2023 and down two from 2022.

A report is unfounded if sworn or commissioned law enforcement personnel have fully investigated the reported crime and have made a formal determination that the report is false. There were three unfounded crimes in 2024, down one from 2023 and up three from 2022.

There were no reported crimes at the Naperville, Rockford or Lorado Taft campuses.

A complete version of the Clery Act report can be accessed online.