Incidents of stalking and petty theft increased on the Arnold campus between 2021 and 2022, while most other crime was nonexistent, according to a report last week.

“I’d like to say it’s because we have heavy visibility here with police presence,” Campus Police Chief Sean Kapfhammer said. “Arnold’s a pretty safe area.”

He added that because the college does not have dorms, it typically does not have major crime.

Six female victims reported the same stalker in 2022, which Kapfhammer called “an anomaly.” The chief said campus authorities did not arrest the suspect but he is no longer a student because of the incidents.

Two others reported separate stalking incidents.

Police took seven larceny reports for items like cell phones and laptops in 2022, compared with four incidents in 2021. In addition police responded to six disorderly conduct reports, which Kapfhammer described as a “student acting up in class.”

Disorderly conduct incidents increased from one report in 2021.

The Glen Burnie Town Center campus reported no crime in 2022, and the Arundel Mills campus recorded two disorderly conduct offenses.

“Well you’re seeing the numbers were really low because of COVID,” Kapfhammer said.“You’re going to see an uptick now that … this is the most students we’ve seen here in a while. So [the] more people here the more likelihood that they’re going to have crime.”

Federal law requires colleges to release an annual security report.

“It’s important that we do that to let everybody know what kind of problem there is on campus,” Kapfhammer said. “It would also be a determining factor for parents to see if it’s a safe environment for their kids.”

Students said they feel safe on campus.

“I feel really safe, if anything,” Marie Butiu, a second-year communications student said. “If you see the numbers based on the reports, [campus police] are still doing their jobs.”

Second-year transfer studies student Oliver Young agreed.

“I feel pretty safe on campus,” Young said. “I haven’t had any bad experiences.”