The campus crime rate at the University of Mississippi has consistently rated the highest among seven universities surveyed in the state, according to a 2022 study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security analysis.
According to the report, UM reported 311 crimes. The next highest is Mississippi State at 245, with the University of Southern Mississippi following at 95. Other universities surveyed include Alcorn State University, Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi Valley State University.
SafeHome.org conducted a similar study this year, which found that UM had the highest campus crime rate among Mississippi schools based on crime rate per 1,000 students.
SafeHome used the same U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education data in order to complete its study. They narrowed the search to schools with over 5,000 students to create a control group of 622 four-year non-profit colleges, community colleges and universities
This data for both of these reports comes from the Clery Report, an annual security report required by the Clery Act, which states that any university receiving federal funding is required by law to report campus crime data as public information. Although the information is required to be reported to the U.S. Department of Education, the crime data reported has not been subjected to independent verification.
The 2022 study categorized incidents by criminal offenses, including violence against women, arrests, disciplinary actions and “unfounded crimes.”
A vast majority of these crimes involved weapon, drug or liquor law violations –– some of which resulted in arrest and others in disciplinary action.
Liquor law violations are defined as “the violation of state or local laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession or use of alcoholic beverages not including driving under the influence and drunkenness.”
The university reported 114 liquor-related crimes in 2022 — only four of which resulted in arrests.
UM has policies in place regarding student liquor consumption, including that students are not allowed to consume alcohol in or around residence halls and can only bring beer and light wine into football games, which cannot be sold or distributed to those under the age of 21. If a student is caught in violation of any policies, their parents are notified immediately.
For crimes falling under the Violence Against Women Act, including domestic and dating violence and stalking, UM reported 31 total cases –– more than Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi and Jackson State University combined.
UM also reported 119 drug abuse crimes, which cover violations of production, distribution and/or use of certain controlled substances along with the equipment or devices utilized in their preparation. Twenty-seven of these reported crimes resulted in arrests while 92 resulted in disciplinary action.
Danial Sanford, director of the university police and campus safety, said that though the university’s crime rate ranks No. 1 among Mississippi universities, university campus safety in Mississippi as a whole is among the highest in the country.
“The crime rates at all of Mississippi’s large public universities are very low when compared to our peers nationwide. Our published crime statistics — which include the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson — reflect our commitment to providing a safe environment for our students, faculty and staff.”
Cameron Billy, a freshman pharmaceutical major, said that UM is, in fact, a safe environment.
“Yeah, I feel pretty safe. People just seem friendly, and right now I can sit outside and no one’s going to come be malicious towards me,” he said.
Freshman law studies major Payton Harris agreed: “I feel safe on this campus.”
SafeHome’s study supports this statement, demonstrating that Mississippi has the fourth lowest campus crime rate in the nation. North and South Dakota and South Carolina were the only states that had lower campus crime rates.
When asked what specific measures the university is taking to ensure safety, Sanford said that staffing is a focus for the department.
“We currently have 37 sworn officers and are in the process of hiring more. We employ campus safety officers and work with security personnel to provide extra support to on- and off-campus student housing,” Sanford said. “UPD also conducts a wide array of crime prevention programming to aid members of the campus community in making informed decisions regarding their own personal safety.
Sanford stated that leadership at the university prioritizes safety by providing the resources necessary to assure safety on campus.
“University (of Mississippi) leadership has prioritized the safety of the campus community and has supported our department’s public safety mission by providing us with the needed resources and support to do our jobs effectively,” Sanford said.
Emily O’Reilly contributed reporting.
