At a time when campus safety is under national scrutiny, West Virginia University has released its annual Clery Act report. The report shows that most crime categories on campus remained stable compared to the previous year, with notable increases in burglaries, domestic violence, and stalking incidents.
Burglaries rose from 10 cases in 2023 to 25 in 2024. Reports of domestic violence increased from 24 to 32, while stalking cases went up from 24 to 42 during the same period.
“Every day, our sworn officers, campus safety officers, dispatchers and other staff members work diligently to ensure our University students, faculty, staff and visitors are able to learn and work in a safe environment,” said WVU Police Chief Sherry St. Clair. “This is more than a job, it’s a calling, and one that we take personally as members of this University community ourselves.”
St. Clair noted that many stalking reports were related to unwanted contact following breakups or other relationship issues.
The annual Clery Act report provides a summary of crime and fire safety statistics for several WVU campuses: Morgantown Campus, Health Sciences — Eastern Division, Health Sciences — Charleston Division, and School of Nursing — Bridgeport Campus. The data reflect reported crimes as defined by the federal Clery Act but do not include investigation outcomes.
A recent amendment to the Clery Act—the Stop Campus Hazing Act—now requires hazing incidents to be included as Clery-reportable crimes starting with calendar year 2025. As part of compliance measures:
– Universities must publish hazing transparency reports twice yearly when applicable.
– Institutions are required to have or maintain research-informed hazing prevention programs accessible campuswide.
– A public webpage will host these transparency reports centrally for public access.
The first hazing transparency report is scheduled for publication in December.
As with previous years’ reports, statistics also include information from outside police agencies with jurisdiction over areas considered part of the university’s Clery geography. This includes not only on-campus locations but also adjacent public property and noncampus buildings owned or controlled by WVU.
Those seeking paper copies of the report can request them by phone at 304-293-2677 (COPS) or 304-293-3136; by mail at 886 Chestnut Ridge Road, Morgantown, WV 26505-3136; or in person at WVU Police Headquarters at the same address.
More details about the WVU Police Department are available online through their official resources. Emergency calls should be made directly to 911 or 304-293-3136.
WVU encourages community members to register for its Safety Notification System for updates on emergencies and incidents near campus. The LiveSafe app is also recommended for discreet communication with police and access to features such as panic alarms and SafeWalk location sharing.
