Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report

To: UC Santa Cruz Community

From: Nader Oweis, Chief of Police, UC Santa Cruz Police Department & Isabel Dees, Associate Vice Chancellor, Equity & Equal Protection

The University of California, Santa Cruz, is committed to assisting all members of the community in providing for their safety and security. In compliance with a federal law known as the Jeanne Clery Act, the Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report for 2019 (PDF) is online and also included as an attachment. More information can be found online.

The Clery Act—named by Congress in honor of 19-year-old Jeanne Clery, a Lehigh University student who was raped and killed in her dorm room—requires colleges and universities to disclose their security policies, keep a public crime log, publish an annual crime report, and provide timely warnings to students and campus employees about a crime posing an immediate or ongoing threat to students and campus employees.

The report contains information regarding campus security and personal safety including topics such as: crime prevention, fire safety, university police law enforcement authority, crime reporting policies, disciplinary procedures, and other matters of importance related to security and safety on campus. It also contains information about crime statistics for the three previous calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by UC Santa Cruz; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

Fire Safety

The deadly wildfires throughout California, and especially the recent CZU Complex Fire in Santa Cruz County and confirmed as the 10th most destructive fire in California history, serves as a reminder that we all need to do our part to prevent wildfires. The impacts of the CZU Complex Fire were so severe that the campus was forced to evacuate staff, faculty and students for the first time in the campus's 55 year history. Fortunately, the fire never reached the campus and occupancy was quickly restored. Anyone who smells smoke or sees a fire must not hesitate to dial 911.

Section 4421 of the Public Resources Code states that no person shall set fire or cause fire to be set to any forest, brush, or other flammable material which is on any land that is not his/her own, or under his/her legal control, without the permission of the owner, lessee, or agent of the owner or lessee of the land.

Information about registered sex offenders

Pursuant to the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, institutions of higher education must annually provide the campus community with how law enforcement agency information concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained.

The State of California requires sex offenders to register with the police department in the jurisdiction in which they reside. The state makes this information available to law enforcement agencies. This information is available to the public at the local police/sheriff's department. For the UC Santa Cruz campus, information on registered sex offenders is available at the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060, 831-454-2242.

Additionally, the Federal Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act provides for the tracking of convicted sex offenders enrolled at or employed at institutions of higher education.

California Penal Code §290.01 requires sex offenders who are enrolled as a student, or is, with or without compensation, a full-time or part-time employee, or is carrying on a vocation for more than 14 days, or for an aggregate period exceeding 30 days in a calendar year to register with the UC Santa Cruz Police Department within five working days of commencing enrollment or employment. The terms "employed or carries on a vocation" include employment whether or not financially compensated, volunteered, or performed for government or educational benefit. The registrant shall also notify the UC Santa Cruz Police Department within five working days of ceasing to be enrolled or employed, or ceasing to carry on a vocation.

Information on these registered sex offenders is available to the public on the Megan's Law website.

More information about the UC Santa Cruz Police Department, the Clery Act, or sex offender information may be found online.

Training Opportunities

The UC Santa Cruz Police Department provides a variety of community training throughout the academic year. For current training opportunities please visit https://police.ucsc.edu/services/community-training.html.  

You may also take online training to learn more about the Clery Act and its requirements through the UC Learning Center