The Annual Report of the University of California Police Department is produced each year to inform our campus communities and the public about crime and crime prevention programs at the nine campuses of the University of California. In the years following the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the University of California Police Department continued to identify and develop security initiatives designed to prepare for and protect our campuses from acts of terrorism. The year 2004 gave us opportunity to collaborate systemwide in an extensive assessment of vulnerable locations under University control. In 2005, we will continue to identify these critical, irreplaceable and high value campus assets and develop mitigation measures that will enable effective reactions to natural disasters as well as events related to domestic and international turmoil. These mitigation measures, developed in collaboration with key members of each campus community, will provide stronger responses of University resources following any actual catastrophic event, and enhance the overall safety of our campus community members.

The Annual Report is compiled and distributed on all campuses, the Office of the President and the Regents of the University of California, and the media. The distribution is evidence of the importance the University of California places on informing our campus communities and the general public regarding incidents of crime on the nine reporting campuses. The data has been integrated in both a narrative and statistical format for thoroughness. This format facilitates a better understanding of the information provided. Next year, the 2005 Annual Report will expand to include data received from the University’s tenth campus located in Merced, scheduled to open in the Fall of 2005.

The University of California Police Department values the basic principle that awareness about crime and crime prevention is one of the most important aspects of effective personal safety. The intent of the Annual Report is to increase community awareness that crime does occur on our campuses, and to show what the University of California Police Department is doing in response to crime problems. It is hoped that this knowledge will support the on-going development of institutional and personal crime prevention strategies to reduce or prevent crime in the nine campus communities.

The officers of the University of California Police Department are entrusted with the duty and responsibility to serve and protect the community throughout our nine-campus system. They take on this responsibility with enthusiasm, dedication, and personal commitment as is reflected in their oath of office as a peace officer in California. The first responsibility of every sworn officer is to assist the University to establish a safe and peaceful environment in order that the primary mission of education, research, public service and patient care can take place in a stimulating and safe environment. Police officers are duly sworn peace officers as defined in California Penal Code Section 830.2(b). Police officers work with a host of civilian employees and a large complement of student employees, as well.

The mission of the University of California Police Department is to protect life and property. This means that we find the commission of any level of crime within the University community unacceptable. The data and information in this report shows a significantly lower incidence of crime on the nine reporting campuses than in communities in the surrounding areas. Our continued success in maintaining a relatively low collective rate of crime is due in great part to our constant efforts to evaluate and implement practical safety measures and to interact with our communities in effective problem solving.

It is very important to note not only the high level of collaboration between the nine campus police departments, but also the excellent collaborations they have developed over the years throughout the campus communities we serve. The realities of the world today make this commitment to collaborate even more important. Community oriented policing is not a new standard for our police departments and campus communities. Both have always recognized the need to create outreach methods, crime prevention strategies, security measures, and enforcement programs with the active cooperation and participation of the campus constituents. The lower incidence of crime on the nine reporting campuses is testament to the hard work and effective working relationships we have developed. We would not experience the success we have without it. The initiation of campus oriented policing measures makes the University of California Police Department a proactive deterrent to crime.

I encourage you to contact the campus department in your community with questions you may have about the operation of the University of California Police Department. Questions concerning this report may be addressed to me at the UC Berkeley Police Department. It is our collective wish that you find the Annual Report informative.

Victoria L. Harrison
Coordinator of Police Services
University of California