The Rowan University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report reveals a nearly 41% spike in crime on Glassboro’s campus in 2024. 

This comes after a significant crime drop in the previous year. According to the report, in 2022, there were 209 crimes reported on the Glassboro Campus, while in 2023, there were only 116 reported, a 44.5% decrease. While reported crime in 2024 has not reached the heights of 2022, it has increased to 163 reports, A 40.52% increase from 2023. 

According to Lt. Cmdr. Rachel Baum, Rowan’s Interim Chief of Police, there are a variety of possible reasons for this increase. Reasons include an increase in enrollment and on-campus housing, as well as efforts to encourage people to report crimes. 

The Clery Act, named after Jeane Clery, requires universities to provide an annual report of all reported crimes on and around campus. The act holds all federally funded universities responsible for the publishing of crime statistics regarding crimes reported on campus, on-campus student housing, public property within campus bounds, public property immediately adjacent to campus,  and non-campus buildings and property controlled by the organization used for education purposes. 

Rowan University’s geographic area consists of its Glassboro Campus, West Campus (South Jersey Technology Park and the Schreiber School of veterinary medicine), Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden Academic Building, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine in Sewell, Rowan College at Burlington County, and Rowan University at Rowan College South Jersey in Gloucester. 

Rowan University’s Glassboro campus is its most populous. With this in mind, it also has the highest crime statistics. The three most reported crimes are rape, domestic violence, and stalking.

In 2024, there were 17 reported rapes in Glassboro, 16 of which occurred in on-campus housing. There was an additional rape reported on public property near the campus. This is an increase of eight reports of on-campus rapes from the prior year, but is still one less than in 2022. There were 60 reports of domestic violence, with 54 of them occurring in on-campus housing and an additional six occurring on surrounding public property. Stalking has seen an increase of 15 reports, with a total of 42. 35 of these reports occurred in on-campus housing, and an additional report occurred on public property

According to Lt. Cmdr. Baum, rapes and other sex offenses are underreported nationwide. Reports of rape include any allegations, even in instances where the incident was not fully investigated. Stalking and domestic violence have similar issues, leading to large increases or decreases year by year. 

While the campus has seen a spike in crime in 2024, it is lower than it was in 2022 by 22.01% with 46 fewer reported crimes. The graph above lists all crimes that have been reported over the last three years. Crimes not included are murder and non-negligent manslaughter, manslaughter by negligence, sex offenses-incest, and drug law referrals, since there have been no reports of these crimes on the Glassboro campus from 2022 to 2024. Also not included is dating violence, which is covered under New Jersey’s definition of domestic violence and not counted separately. 

2024 also contained the first statutory rape on campus in three years, with statutory rape being counted separately from rape, as the victim is under the age of consent. 

There have been no reported robberies for the first time in three years on campus, and there has been a drop in aggravated assaults, from 5 in 2023 to 2 in 2024. Only one had been reported in on-campus housing. Reports of Motor vehicle theft have gone from 3 in 2022 and 2023 to 6 in 2024. There have been no reports of arson, one of the only crimes to have an increase in reports in 2023, from one to three. There were three reports of burglary in 2024, an increase of only one from the previous year. 

There has also been an increase in weapons possession arrests and referrals, as weapons possession arrests have increased by two and referrals by one.

Despite the changes in marijuana related offenses caused by the CREAMM Act in 2021, there has been an increase in drug arrests from the previous year. In 2024, there was an increase in on-campus drug law arrests, going from four to seven. Liquor law arrests follow the exact same trend. There has also been an increase in liquor law and drug law referrals.

On public property surrounding Rowan’s West Campus, however, reports of drug arrests have gone from three to zero, and no other crimes have been reported. The Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford has seen two total reports, one instance of domestic violence and another instance of stalking, which both occurred on campus. The school’s Sewell counterpart has one report of on-campus stalking. 

Cooper Medical School, Camden Academic Building, Rowan College at Burlington County, and Rowan College of South Jersey in Gloucester have had no crimes reported in 2024. 

The Glassboro Campus had only one fire in 2024, according to the report, the lowest in the last three years. 2022 saw five fires, and 2023 saw seven. 

There have been no reports of hate crimes on any of Rowan’s campuses, but three reports of unfounded crimes, one report on the Glassboro campus and two at the Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford.

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