The University of Kansas 2024 crime rates are down 6.4% from 2024 according to a press release from the KU Police Department. KU Police recorded 481 total criminal offenses this past year, which is 13.6% below the 10-year annual average of 561 crimes.

Ashley Updike | @whatsupupdike

While KU police have updated technology like surveillance cameras to monitor crime, KU Police Captain Jack Campbell attributes the decrease in crime rates to the dedication of the KU community to keep each other safe. 

“We’re really big at developing campus partnerships to try to take on crime as like a community, as part of the entire university campus. So we really work with our community in order to identify any situations that they may be having or to educate them on ways that they can help us,” Campbell said. 

The police department isn’t the only place who has noticed this community effort. KU criminology professor Misty Campbell agrees that historically, the closeness of a community is generally what drives crime down.

“We all have an obligation and an ability to reduce crime by paying attention to not just our surroundings, but thinking about how do we make a place safer,” Campbell said. 

To continue decreasing campus crime, the KU police department hopes to engage more in community outreach events and build relationships with more organizations around campus.

“Any kind of safety and security related training and education we’ve found really helps us in the long run in accomplishing our mission and keeping students safe. And also building partnerships where people will come to us if they need us,” Campbell said. 

KU police want to remind students to secure all items when leaving no matter the timeframe you will be gone, be aware of your surroundings, walk in groups, and make sure when you go somewhere with friends, you have a plan to come back together.