UCLA, UCR Fire Back At Article Placing Campuses Among 'Most Dangerous' In America
WESTWOOD (CBSLA.com) — School officials at two local universities are angered by a published report that placed their campuses near the bottom when it comes to safety.
The internet magazine Business Insider posted an article placing the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as number one on the list of "The 25 Most Dangerous Colleges in America."
University of California, Riverside (UCR) campus came in at number 24.
Bob Brill, reporting for KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO, says administrators at both schools blasted the publication, saying it was "misleading" and "inaccurate."
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The website averaged FBI crime data per capita from 2008 to 2011 for schools with over 10,000 students enrolled. The rankings included public schools and not private institutions.
"Schools were ranked based on a combination of the violent crime rank and property crime rank (weighted 4:1)," Business Insider said on its website.
Phil Hampton, Director of Media Relations for UCLA, issued a statement to Business Insider saying, "UCLA police take reports of crimes committed not only on university-owned and university operated properties both on campus and off, but also crimes committed in neighboring off-campus areas where UCLA police have concurrent jurisdiction with other law enforcement agencies."
While Business Insider did note that, "crime numbers are elevated at schools where campus police jurisdiction includes neighboring off-campus areas," the website said, "despite this and other complications in comparing schools, we think this list gives a useful perspective on crime at and near campuses."
» UCLA's Response To Business Insider Article
In a letter sent to the authors of the article, UCR said: "Your headline, and the way you have used the statistics to brand certain college campuses "the most dangerous" is in fact a step in the wrong direction for crime prevention. An intentionally inflammatory headline is now being widely disseminated."
» UCR's Response To Business Insider Article
Business Insider noted the official complaints on its website.
Emails sent by CBS2/KCAL9 to two of the editors at the Business Insider have not yet been replied to.
Brill reports that a study done by Reader's Digest in 2005 showed both schools in the top 200 of the safest schools in the nation.
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