Erie County’s four traditional colleges and universities must report annual crime statistics under the federal Clery Act, which applies to institutions of higher learning nationwide.
GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Erie’s colleges and universities have reported their 2025 crime statistics under federal law, and the new reports show some changes from the statistics for 2024.
One notable shift is fewer reports of rape at three institutions: Gannon University (none in 2025, down from one in 2024), Mercyhurst University (one in 2025, down from four in 2024) and Penn State Behrend (one in 2025, down from six in 2024).
PennWest Edinboro reported one rape in both 2024 and 2025.
The local institutions reported the crime statistics under the Jeanne Clery Act, which Congress passed in 1990. It requires colleges and universities to report certain crime data, as well as support victims of violence and outline policies and procedures to improve campus safety.
The law is named for a 19-year-old college student who was raped and murdered in her dorm at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The Clery Act requires schools that receive federal funding to produce an annual security and fire safety report that includes crime statistics for the previous three years.
The Clery Act requires institutions to disclose reported crimes. The statistics do not indicate whether allegations were substantiated or resulted in criminal charges or disciplinary findings.
The 2026 reports were due Oct. 1. They include crime statistics for 2025, 2024 and 2023.
The reports list the offenses in two categories: criminal offenses and offenses under the Violence Against Women Act, the 1994 federal law that provides protections and services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Crimes must be reported, but not outcomes
As the Erie Times-News has reported, the Clery Act has limits.
Though it requires colleges and universities to report crime statistics, the Clery Act does not require them to report how cases were resolved.
In cases in which the allegations involve sexual assault, the disposition typically follows one of two routes, or in some cases both: criminal prosecution or a Title IX proceeding.
Criminal prosecutions are generally public. Title IX proceedings are internal administrative processes that the college or university holds to address claims of sexual harassment, sexual discrimination or sexual misconduct.
Title IX proceedings are conducted under Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.
Statistics for local colleges and universities are published
Here is a look at the 2026 reports for Erie County’s traditional four-year colleges and universities: Gannon, Mercyhurst, PennWest Edinboro and Penn State Behrend. All the reports were filed by the Oct. 1 deadline.
The Erie Times-News is listing only offense categories that recorded at least one report during the three-year period from 2023 through 2025.
Gannon University
Criminal offenses in 2025
Rape: 0 (1 in 2024, 2 in 2023)Fondling: 1 (0 in 2024, 2 in 2023)Burglary: 1 (1 in 2024, 2 in 2023)
Violence Against Women Act offenses
Domestic violence: 0 (1 in 2024, 0 in 2023)Dating violence: 0 (0 in 2024, 2 in 2023)Stalking: 1 (2 in 2024, 1 in 2023)
Mercyhurst University
Criminal offenses in 2025
Rape: 1 (4 in 2024, 5 in 2023)Fondling: 1 (1 in 2024, 4 in 2023)Aggravated assault: 0 (3 in 2024, 1 in 2023)Motor vehicle theft: 1 (0 in 2024 and 2023)Domestic violence: 0 (0 in 2024, 1 in 2023)Dating violence: 3 (2 in 2024, 8 in 2023)Stalking: 1 (2 in 2024, 4 in 2023)
Penn State Behrend
Criminal offenses in 2025
Rape: 1 (6 in 2024, 4 in 2023)Burglary: 1 (1 in 2024, 0 in 2023)Aggravated assault: 0 (0 in 2024, 2 in 2023)Motor vehicle theft: 0 (0 in 2024, 3 in 2023)
Violence Against Women Act offenses
Dating violence: 2 (8 in 2024, 6 in 2023)Stalking: 4 on campus (5 on campus, 1 non-campus in 2024; 6, all on campus, in 2023)
PennWest Edinboro
Criminal offenses in 2025
Rape: 1 (1 in 2024, 0 in 2023)Burglary: 0 (2 in 2024, 0 in 2023)Fondling: 0 (1 in 2024, 0 in 2023)Stalking: 0 (1 in 2024, 0 in 2023)Dating violence: 2 (0 in 2024, 1 in 2023)
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@usatodayco.com or 814-870-1813.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie’s universities report latest crime statistics. What are trends?
Reporting by Ed Palattella and Tim Hahn, Erie Times-News / Erie Times-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published October 2, 2026 at 10:40 AM.