At the start of the spring semester, several staff members began to ask questions about their safety after several car break-ins were reported in a campus parking lot in late January. From February through April, The Maneater’s IDR team has investigated what safety means at the University of Missouri. 

We’ve highlighted the resources the University of Missouri Police Department provides to protect students, shared first-hand student accounts of their experiences on campus and explored policies, protocols and systematic structures while examining past and recent crime events. 

This is not an exhaustive list. While our six reporters have worked hard to be as transparent and to understand the public data available, there is still more information that falls under this category that we could not cover in two months. There is still a lot to understand about safety at MU, and this article is just the beginning.

Trigger Warning: The following content mentions topics concerning murder, sexual violence and hate crimes.

Many safety protocols on college campuses can be attributed to the Clery Act. The Clery Act of 1990 requires that colleges and universities who receive federal funding publish an annual security report covering the preceding three years. At the University of Missouri, this data is recorded by the University of Missouri Police Department. The Clery Act ensures transparency for students and community members regarding campus crime.

Crime statistics in the Annual Safety Reports are not limited to on-campus crime. They also include the following areas:

• Student housing and public property within campus bounds or immediately adjacent to campus.
• Non-campus property owned or controlled by an organization for educational purposes.
• Non-campus property frequently used by students that are not a part of the core campus or buildings or controlled by an officially recognized student organization.

The Clery Act sets specific, standardized definitions for crimes to provide transparency on campus occurrences across institutions. Reported crime statistics are based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Definitions.

Some data reported in the ASR may not match the reports from the Missouri State Highway Patrol or the Columbia Police Department due to the unique parameters the Clery Act follows.

ASR data from 2015 to 2023 helps the public better understand how trends in crime have fluctuated in recent years on MU’s campus.

The ASR details a variety of crimes including aggravated assault, arson, burglary, domestic violence, drug and liquor law arrests, motor vehicle theft, robbery and stalking, among others. The amount of each of the crimes previously listed has remained at a steady rate from 2015- 2023, however, some have had brief shifts in their patterns in recent years.

Data from the ASR can be found through MU archives, which can be found online or in Ellis Library, as well as the University of Missouri Police Department’s website. Data can be found for 1997—2007 and 2015— 2023. Data from 2008 — 2014 is not available through MU archives or online. The data used to track trends were from the previous eight years.

Looking at raw data can minimize qualitative factors such as community and police force relationships and repeat offenders. It is important to consider how these factors could affect numerical data. Brian Weimer, MU Chief of Police, said that if crime data seems high, it can indicate trust in the police and the ability of residents to work with authorities to solve crimes.

“If you have a police department that builds a strong relationship with their community, people may be more likely to come forward to report crimes than in other places,” Weimer said.

2005 – Most recent murder that occurred at MU

The most recent murder on MU’s campus occurred in 2005. No one was charged at the time, but in 2015, a suspect was identified through a DNA match.

Weimer said resolving crimes can take a wide range of time, depending on the complexity of the case.

“It doesn’t work like you see on TV,” Weimer said. “What I mean by that is, DNA was collected way back then, but in the system, we did not get a match until, you know, 10 plus years later,”

There have been zero recorded murders on campus since 2005, as reported in MU’s ASRs.

From 2015 to 2023, there has been an average of seven burglaries per calendar year. The most in one year was recorded in 2015, when 15 burglaries occurred. The lowest number recorded was five reported in 2021 and again in 2023.

2015 – Uptick in hate crimes

The ASR includes data on hate crime reporting on or near MU. In 2015, eight hate crimes were reported for reasons including gender identity, ethnicity, religion and race. Data in subsequent years reported significantly lower numbers.

In the fall semester of 2015, a group of students known as Concerned Student 1950, named after the first year Black students were admitted to MU, protested how the university handled racism on campus. Throughout 2015, many Black students on campus spoke out against incidents of racist remarks and actions from other students.

Protests continued throughout the fall, and on Nov. 2, 2015, Concerned Student 1950 member Jonathan Butler began a hunger strike. Butler demanded that President Tim Wolfe resign. On Nov. 7, 2015, a group of Black students on the Missouri football team refused to play a game until Wolfe resigned.

On Nov. 9, 2015, Wolfe resigned. His resignation came two days after Missouri football players refused to play and seven days into Butler’s hunger strike. Wolfe was replaced by current UM System President and MU Chancellor Mun Choi.

In 2016, only one hate crime was reported, and after 2018, no hate crimes were reported on MU’s campus, according to the ASR.

This academic year, the Legion of Black Collegians posted on Instagram that as of Oct. 6, 2024, there were two instances within one week where several high school students from area schools, including Rock Bridge High School, yelled racial slurs at members of the Legion and a friend of a member walking near the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center as they drove by in a pickup truck. In the Instagram post, The Legion listed demands for the university to change its handling of these actions. One month later, the Legion posted an update stating MU had taken steps to make the campus more secure, but would like to see more.

2021 – Lack of change in sexual assaults at MU

ASRs show that the number of reported sexual assaults remained relatively consistent between 2015 and 2023. Under the Clery Act, sexual assault reports are categorized into four types: rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape. The graph shows the total number of sexual assault reports from 2015— 2023.

Throughout this period, no reports of incest or statutory rape were recorded in any ASR.

It is important to note that ASRs only reflect incidents that are reported. According to data from the National Sexual Violence Research Center, published in 2015, more than 90% of college students who experience sexual assault do not report it. 

On Sept. 29, 2021, Stronger Together Against Relationship and Sexual Violence, a student organization focused on raising awareness about sexual violence, organized a protest at Speakers Circle. The protest expressed solidarity with individuals in Columbia who had reported being drugged and addressed the lack of accountability from the MUPD and the university.

Mizzou Safe app

All resources listed below are accessible on the app and other platforms except for Friend Walk and Safe Walk. The app is available on IOS and the Google Play Store.

• STRIPES
  • Open to undergraduate and graduate students who pay the student activity fee. Students can receive a maximum of $12 for Uber rides per month.
  • STRIPES is available on Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
  • The route runs from downtown Columbia to the student’s residence.
• Friend Walk
  • Students can share their location with a friend to track the student until they reach their destination. The friend can prompt a call to emergency services if needed.
  • Should the student or friend disconnect, the walk ends and an option to call emergency services is made available.
• File a police report
  • Should only be used in non-emergency situations. For emergencies, including if the student(s) involved are at risk of harming themselves or others, students are advised to call 911.
  • The form asks for background information on the filer and location of the incident, information about the people or person involved, questions and any photos or recorded evidence.
• File an accident report
  • The form asks for crash details, weather, the filer’s information, all known information about other drivers and any passenger information.
  • Accident reports should not be filled out if someone in the accident was injured or if the crash was “leaving the scene,” the legal definition for hit and run. In these cases, the MU Police Department should be contacted at 573-882-7201 which can be found on the back of physical student IDs.
• Report a crime tip
  • Crime tips can be reported on the Mizzou Safe app or by calling MUPD at 573-882-7201.
  • In-app crime tips require the report type, filer’s contact information, location of the incident, incident details and photos, videos or files relevant to the incident.
• Safe Walk
  • Notifies a campus safety officer that a student is requesting an escort to walk with them to their destination.
  • Only available for on-campus needs.
  • Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Does not provide vehicle transportation. Officers will only walk with the student.
  • Requests can be made by calling MUPD at 573-882-7201.
• MU Alert
  • MU Alert notifies students, staff and faculty in cases of severe weather and situations that could harm student and employee safety or health.
  • Students can sign up for MU Alert through myZou. Instructions on how to do so can be found here.
  • Student employees are required to sign up through myHR in addition to myZou. Instructions on how to do so can be found here.

Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center

This is not an exhaustive list of the RSVP Center’s resources. To view the full list and resource details, visit it here.

• Confidential response resources assist students affected by identity-based violence.
• Case management resources include support for mental health, legal matters, housing, medical matters, safety planning and working with the MU Office of  Institutional Equity.
• Students can schedule an appointment with a case manager through MU Connect.
• The RSVP provides a list of on and off-campus resources, which can be found here. 

Safety training classes

This is not an exhaustive list of the MU Police Department’s classes. To see a full list, visit it here. All trainings are free to campus and community members and hosted by the MUPD.

• Citizens’ Response to Active Threats
  • Learn how to respond to active shooters and violent intruders.
  • Only offered for groups associated with MU that will have at least 15 participants. Groups need to contact the MUPD Crime Prevention Unit at least two weeks in advance to schedule an appointment.
  • The Crime Prevention Unit can be reached at crimeprevention@umsystem.edu and 573-884-7809.
• Women’s courses
  • Basic R.A.D (Rape Aggression Defense), Advanced R.A.D and aerosol/keychain defense classes.
  • Basic R.A.D focuses on general safety, what to do after an attack, securing yourself and your residence, how to use weapons for self defense, travel safety and more. 
  • Advanced R.A.D covers physical defense strategies. The Basic R.A.D. course is a prerequisite to this one.
• Non-gender specific programs
  • Gender-inclusive self-defense
    • Gives participants information and strategies to use in confrontational situations.
    • Participants learn de-escalation and self-defense techniques as well as how to be aware of aggressive behavior and implement bystander intervention.
    • Staff, faculty and students can sign up here.
  • General safety overview
    • Teaches safety tips and ways to increase situational awareness.
    • Staff, faculty and students can request to sign up here.
  • Car care clinic
    • Teaches basic maintenance for emergencies and, if time permits, vehicle systems and how to troubleshoot issues.
    • Participants are encouraged to bring their vehicle.
    • Staff, faculty and students can register for the clinic here.

Additional resources

• Blue light phone system 
  • When the blue light phone is activated by a user, the caller is connected with the MUPD dispatch center.
• MUPD property registration
  • Electronics and valuable items with a serial number can be registered with the university to help increase the chances of having the item(s) returned if lost or stolen.
  • An active University of Missouri account is necessary to register property with the university.
  • Property can be registered through the Property Registration portal.
• Integrity and accountability hotline
  • The hotline is confidential and secure.
  • Can be used in situations where the person reporting information is uncomfortable using other resources.
  • The hotline can be called at 844-469-6383. Its website can be found here.

The Missouri Sunshine Law grants public access to public records for governmental bodies in Missouri, which includes MUPD. However, there are some instances in which records are kept confidential. According to the law, if an open record or document is “reasonably likely to pose a clear and present danger to the safety of any victim, witness, undercover officer, or other person,” it will remain closed from the public.

MUPD will protect the confidentiality, to the fullest extent of the law, of victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. Victims of sexual offenses are also allowed to request that their identity remain confidential until charges are filed.

“We follow all the state and federal laws, whether that be FERPA or just victim laws that are out there,” Weimer said. “Certain things are reportable and mandated if you look at the Missouri Sunshine Law … it talks about many other things, of what can be released, as far as victims and arrestees and those types of things, so we have to follow that.”

MU students are encouraged to report crimes to MUPD immediately. Anonymous crime reports to MUPD can be submitted through its Silent Witness program while confidential reports can be submitted to the Office of Institutional Equity. These reports are submitted with the purpose of being counted in annual crime statistics.

Campus Security Authorities, also known as CSAs, are required to report crimes that are reported to them directly under the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act. CSAs include security personnel on campus, resident advisors, athletic coaches and other officials responsible for students. Professional and pastoral counselors are not Campus Security Authorities when in their counseling role.

The following bar chart shows the 15 most common crimes MUPD has logged in the MUPD Daily Crime Log from Aug. 18, 2024, until May 5, 2025.

Any property owned, leased or operated by MU falls under MUPD’s jurisdiction and is reported on the crime log. This includes reports made from MU Health Care facilities under the department’s jurisdiction, including the University Hospital, which may influence the frequency and type of crime reported.

Brian Weimer, MU Chief of Police, said that larceny remains the most prevalent crime on campus.

Forgery is also commonly reported because “using or possessing a fake ID is a criminal offense under Missouri law and is classified as a form of forgery,” Weimer said. 

Crime definitions were taken from the following sources for the following crimes:

• 2024 Annual Fire Safety and Security Report
  • Larceny
  • Assault – Simple
  • Drug – Narcotic
  • Liquor Law
  • Property Damage
• FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Handbook
  • Forgery
  • DWI
• Revised Statutes of Missouri: Crimes and Punishment
  • Leaving the Scene of Accident
  • Trespass
• MUPD responses to The Maneater
  • Office Information (MUPD)
  • Drawn in Error
  • Sick/Mentally Ill Person
• Global Road Safety Partnership Crash Investigation and Reporting Guide
  • Crash Investigation
• Missouri Court Records
  • Traffic Offense
  • Warrant Arrest

The Ellis Library Security Desk at the west side entrance of the building stands on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Columbia, Mo. Ellis Library has its own safety and security team separate from the University of Missouri Police Department that is funded by student fees. (Haydn Gambardella/Maneater)

Internal/external crime

When a crime is committed within campus grounds at the University of Missouri, it can either be described as an internal crime or an external crime, depending on the parties involved. If the crime involves only university-affiliated community members (students, faculty, staff, etc.), the crime is considered internal, while external crimes involve individuals from outside the MU community, according to Brian Weimer, MU Chief of Police.

Whether a person is affiliated with the university or not, they must abide by the same local, state and federal laws. However, the university operates independently of the criminal justice system, and a student or staff member may face disciplinary action from the university if their actions violate the MU Collected Rules and Regulations.

According to MU’s 110.010 regulations on university property usage, students may be issued a no-trespass notice restricting their access to campus grounds if the university deems their behavior to “constitute a threat to persons or property or a substantial disruption to the functioning of the institution.”

As per the Student Conduct Process, alleged violations of conduct are subject to hearing by the Student Conduct Committee, which makes the final decision in assigning disciplinary or remedial action.

“CPD is generally involved in cases that fall outside of MUPD’s jurisdiction,” Weimer said. “Although MUPD handles campus-related incidents, CPD may also respond to situations on campus when appropriate.”

Ellis Library

The majority of MU buildings are locked electronically at night to prevent access after hours, with the exception of Ellis Library, which is open 24 hours Sunday through Thursday.

While entrants are asked to show their student ID between 10 p.m. and 7:30 a.m., the library is otherwise open to the public. Larry Dietzel, head of safety and security at Ellis Library, said visitors unaffiliated with the university are not asked to leave past 10 p.m. as long as they are not causing danger or disruption to other patrons.

The Ellis Library Safety and Security Team is staffed independently from MUPD. Officers are trained to handle disruptions and peacefully de-escalate possibly dangerous situations, only involving the police if a situation becomes dangerous or requires the removal of an individual.

“We’ve been able to do a number of things like improve [Americans with Disabilities Act]) accessibility within the buildings with the student fee,” Dietzel said. “So there are things that MUPD would not be able to do with fees that we can. And so it makes more sense to leave the fees with the libraries and have us manage the team.”

This semester, Ellis Library has begun locking its private study spaces between midnight and 7:30 a.m. to allow custodial staff to clean and maintain the rooms.

“It is hard to clean this building when we are open 24 hours a day,” Shannon Cary, communications officer of MU’s libraries, said. Cary said the libraries are working with campus facilities on overnight study accommodations for students.

The Maneater News reporters asked random students on April 18 to share how safe they feel on campus on a 1-10 scale, 1 being very unsafe and 10 being very safe.

Sixty-two students were surveyed at Speakers Circle, Lowry Mall, Stankowski Field and Francis Quadrangle. Thirty-eight rated their safety level at seven or eight, and all answers were between four and 10.

Senior Sophia Malecek rated a seven out of 10 because she said she feels safe and hasn’t had any bad experiences on campus, but she is wary about how much MUPD does.

“I think [MU] does an okay job of alerting us,” Malecek said. “I don’t think it does a good job at protecting us.”

Malecek believes there should be more security present on campus and off campus.

“There are a lot of students that go to the bars at night and just making sure they have their own security there, I think would be really nice because they know it’s so close to campus,” Malecek said. “I know there’s usually a security guard outside Speaker’s Circle but I know that’s not constant and, you know, depending on the day, so something more active like that.”

Sophomore Abby Kestle also gave a score of seven, referencing the MU Alert system as one of MUPD’s strengths.

“I think MU does a good job at sending messages when there’s increased activity like gunfire near campus,” Kestle said.

Kestle also said she has experienced quick response times from MUPD.

“I have had to make reports about activities within my dorm, and I will say those got responded to through RAs and then the police very quickly,” Kestle said. “So the responses I have seen have been done pretty well.”

Junior Malea Mondhink does believe MU police provides resources, but she said she feels there should be more security and services for late nights.

“They do have MU police and MU security policing the campus 24 hours which is a good safety thing and the blue light that they have on campus is nice so I would say they do a decent job, but I do think they could do better,” Mondhink said.

She rated how safe she felt on campus safety as an eight, but said she began to question her security when she started working late shifts at the university’s hospital and had to walk to a distant parking lot at 3 a.m. because of unavailability at the closer lots and a lack of late night shuttle services.

“That was kind of a shocker moment for me that was like ‘Oh, they don’t really seem to care all that much about being a college student working late nights and walking outside at three in the morning,’” Mondhink said.

Overall, students ranked their safety on campus fairly high but are unsure of the resources and security measures taken by the university.

This graph compares safety at the University of Missouri to a number of other universities in the Southeastern Conference in 2023. It was compiled using The National Center for Education Statistics’s Integrated Postsecondary Data System and the Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool. Additionally, Stephen Christ, a professor of Sociology at MU, helped to identify the SEC as a set of comparable universities because of cultural similarities. Christ also helped identify other comparable factors, including the urbanization of the city in which a university is located and its retention rate.

Disclaimer: There are many different factors that may play in how safe a university is, meaning there isn’t a perfect way to compare MU to other universities. The following is a non-exhaustive list of factors that may contribute to the safety of each university and can help to illustrate the differences that each university has.

Violent crimes consist of the combined number of recorded instances of rape, statutory rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, vehicular crime and arson at a school. 

Classifications listed by NCES:

*City – Large (11): Territory inside an urban area with a population of 50,000 or more and inside a Principal City with a population of 250,000 or more.
*City – Midsize (12): Territory inside an urban area with a population of 50,000 or more and inside a Principal City with a population less than 250,000 and greater than or equal to 100,000.
*City – Small (13): Territory inside an urban area with a population of 50,000 or more and inside a Principal City with a population of less than 100,000.
*Town – Remote (33): Territory inside an urban area with a population of less than 50,000 that is more than 35 miles from an urban area with a population of 50,000 or more.
*Suburb – Midsize (22): Territory outside a Principal City and inside an urban area with a population of less than 250,000 and greater than or equal to 100,000.

MUPD reported seven instances of violent crime in 2024—a 61% decrease from 2023. The Columbia Police Department reported a 6% drop in violent crime from 2023-24, a continuation of a downtrend throughout the past four years.

The MU campus has seen a number of notable incidents during the 2025 spring semester. Many of these were in areas near the edge of campus like The Todd, U Centre on Turner, Mark Twain Residence Hall and Greek Town.

On Jan. 28, several cars were broken into in the WG14 lot, a university-owned parking lot near Mark Twain Hall and Greek Town.

On Feb. 4, a man who was dropped off by MUPD left the University Hospital, entered the Sigma Kappa sorority house, armed himself with several knives and locked himself in a study room with a victim, according to the Columbia Missourian. Following the incident, he was arrested by MUPD.

On the weekend of April 12 and April 13, MU Alert sent messages regarding a number of shootings which took place in downtown Columbia near MU. An additional shooting also occurred at Cosmo Park. There were two injuries, and all investigations are still pending.

UM System President Mun Choi sent a mass email on April 21 addressing the recent safety incidents and what the university was doing to address them. The email discussed the advancements MU has made in safety in the last five years, alongside the resources that are offered. Additionally, the email discussed MU’s cooperation with the City of Columbia and the increased presence of MUPD downtown.

The following editors contributed to the editing process of this investigation:

Julianna Mejia | jmejia@themaneater.com

Chase Pray | cpray@themaneater.com 

Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com

Ava Morhor | amorhor@themaneater.com

Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com 

Emilia Hansen | ehansen@themaneater.com 

Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com

Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com