ASU, GCU saw campus crime declines in 2020

As COVID-19 emptied college campuses of students in 2020, the smaller number of people gathered at Phoenix- area schools contributed to some twists and turns in campus crime data.

Reports collected from Arizona State University’s four campuses and myriad facilities across the U.S. and from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix show an increase in some types of crime and a decrease in others during the pandemic-filled school year.

The Clery Act, named for a Lehigh University student who was killed in her dorm room in 1986, requires all colleges to disclose campus crime statistics annually. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 later required reports of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking be collected as well.