Howard University Department of Public Safety in Violation of Clery Act

Students' safety concerns heighten amidst the Springfest season

WASHINGTON — The 2023 crime reports were not published by the Howard University Department of Public Safety (HUDPS) and its absence worried students during Springfest.

Springfest is an annual celebratory week filled with engaging and performative activities for students planned by the Undergraduate Student Association (UGSA). Howard’s open campus is accessible to non-Howard students and community members to enter without any need for security clearance. The Jeanne Clery Act requires all post-secondary institutions to publish 5 annual Clery Act crime statistics within the Clery geography. However, recent HUDPS crime reports are inconsistent with previous years and students are concerned for their safety.

Asia Moncrief, a freshman political science major, experienced four safety incidents in which she felt her safety was compromised during her first semester. One incident, Moncrief described, occurred when she was walking back to her dorm while accompanied by her boyfriend.

“There were four men in ski masks…they just came from around the corner just randomly,” Moncrief said. “They started walking with us, and then they started speeding up… So we ran, and then they started running, and they literally chased us all the way… to [College Hall North Dorm].”

Because her safety was repeatedly compromised on campus, her mother demanded a meeting with Howard University Police Department(HUPD) Executive Director and Chief of Police, Marcus Lyle.

101 Magazine reached out to HUPD for a statement, but Lyle declined to comment.

Howard University did not adhere to the Jeanne Clery Act because the most recent daily crime report published by HUDPS was from 2022 . There is no record of the 2023 crime reports.

The only online record of crime reports for 2024 is available on HU’s Bison S.A.F.E. app under the ‘crime map’ tab. However, the 2024 crime reports are inconsistent with several reports from 2021 and 2022. The reports (shown below) depict a gaping difference in the number of reports from ‘21, ‘22 and, especially, ‘24.

Howard University Crime Reports from 2021, 2022 and 2024; Graph by: Sabrina McCrear

Springfest is usually scheduled for the second week of April each spring semester. In 2021, more than a quarter of all reported crimes in April occurred during Springfest.

HUDPS denied to comment. Yet, in recent years the department has implemented tools to prevent incidents like Moncrief’s experience.

The Peace of Mind(POM) initiative was adopted to replace blue light emergency phones on campus. The hand-held POM device operates similarly because it allows students to contact and communicate with campus safety officials in the case of an emergency.

Captain Robert Thompson, chief investigator of HUDPS, said that POM devices were more accessible and efficient than blue light devices because it’s more convenient to carry on your person.

The initial reveal of the POM device during the Fall 2022 semester excited students and faculty. Numerous campus-wide promotions told students they could collect their POM device at the Howard University Service Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.—towards the west end of the Towers dormitory.

The alternate location to pick up a POM device is the Blackburn University Center on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon. However, upon seeking to obtain a POM device, the Blackburn service center could not fulfill the request. The Howard staff working the service desk did not know where or even if the university center supplied the devices.

Moncrief is not the only student who fears for her safety on campus.

“It’s honestly terrifying to get a message [that] there was a shooting at Banneker when I live right across the street,” said Lauryn Ciardullo, a sophomore musical theater major and Howard Plaza Tower resident.

Banneker Park is adjacent to the Tower dormitory. It is not Howard University property and is accessible to all D.C. residents.

The Metropolitan Police Department recorded a 39% increase in violent crimes from 2022 to 2023, including homicide, sexual abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon, and robbery.

In 2021, less than 5% of crimes reported to HUPD occurred off campus; in 2022, it was less than 4%.

In response to the crime reports, Ciardullo said, “I feel like Howard doesn't care enough about the students and cares more about the image of safety.”

Howard is not the only university in the D.C. metropolitan area to report high crime rates.

American University, George Washington University and Georgetown University have reported similar violent crimes.

A comparison of criminal offenses recorded at American University, George Washington University, HowardUniversity and George Washington University. Graph by: Sabrina McCrear

Additionally, the act of violence victimization can have a detrimental effect on students' mental well-being.

Regardless of the type of violence, victims of violence are at a higher risk of poor psychological outcomes, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine.

The study, ‘Violence Exposure and Mental Health of College Students in the United States' surveyed random samples of students from participating universities.

15.7% of all students surveyed reported a history of violence victimization.

Moncrief’s multiple dangerous encounters forced her to seek counseling.

“I couldn't even focus and pay attention, I was scared to go outside. I was scared to go out and just walk to the yard, I was scared to go off campus,” she said.Seeking justice, Moncrief founded the HU Policy to bring awareness to the violence and lack of dorm visitation on campus.

“It's not being talked about because it’s not happening to everybody, it's only happening to a few people...but a few is enough,” she said.

Despite Howard University being a public campus, students still feel unsafe walking to and from their dorms.

“That feeling of being forced to be in uncomfortable, unsafe situations because I don’t want to be put in another uncomfortable unsafe situation is kind of insane,” said Ciardullo.