Content Warning: This timely warning includes descriptions of sexual violence.

In an effort to promote campus safety and provide timely information to our campus community, the following information is being provided so that you can make informed decisions about your safety. We encourage all community members to care for their needs and well-being while reading this message, especially those who have been impacted by similar forms of violence.

CARE provides free and confidential support and advocacy to students, staff, and faculty who have experienced sexual violence, including sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. Please call the 24/7 confidential phone line (805) 893-4613 any time to explore your rights, options, and support. CARE website: care.ucsb.edu

Information about UCSB’s policies and support resources for sexual violence can be found at: titleix.ucsb.edu

Today, March 1, 2022, victim/survivor and law enforcement support resources will be available at the Isla Vista Community Safety & Support Event being held from 4:30-6:00pm at the Isla Vista Community Center (976 Embarcadero del Mar). A trauma-informed space of support for all affected will be offered, as well as supportive individualized safety planning, and sharing updates and addressing questions of residents. This event is being held by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office in partnership with UCSB CARE, STESA, the SB County District Attorney’s Victim Witness Assistance, and UCPD.

Sexual Assault Report

This is a Timely Warning regarding a crime that occurred on campus property. This is a follow-up to the Emergency Notifications that were sent yesterday evening.

On February 28, 2022, the UCSB Police Department received a report of a nonconsensual fondling that occurred in the vicinity of West Campus Family Housing on the evening of February 28, 2022. The suspect approached the victim and fondled her chest.

The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office received a report of an attempted kidnapping in Isla Vista on the evening of February 28, 2022. It is believed these crimes were committed by the same suspect.

The suspect is described as a white male adult approximately 25 years old, slender build, short to medium beard, brown “slicked back” hair with golden highlights, and brown eyes, driving likely a mid-90’s gold Toyota Camry or similar, in poor and faded condition, with “shiny looking blue curtains” (similar to a sunshade) covering the back windows. The suspect is not known to the victim and his campus affiliation is unknown.

UCPD will maintain increased patrols in Isla Vista and on campus from now through Friday of next week. Additional CSO staffing has been added to the CSO escort service. Additionally, the Annual Lighting and Safety Walk will take place on Monday, March 7, 2022, starting at 5:30pm on the west side of the UCSB Library near the Arbor. UCPD is also planning to hold R.A.D. self defense classes in the near future.

UCPD is investigating this crime. If you have information that might assist in the investigation, please contact the UCSB Police Department at (805) 893-3446, or report crime information anonymously at www.police.ucsb.edu/report-crime.

If you have information about the incident in Isla Vista that might assist in the investigation, please contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office (SBSO) at (805) 681-4100, or report crime information anonymously at www.sbsheriff.org/anonymoustips.html.

UCPD reminds the campus community of the following safety tips:

Safety Tips

  • Perpetrators are responsible for sexual assault. Crime victims are never responsible for the behavior of perpetrators. 
  • If you start to feel concerns about a person or a situation, trust your instincts and try to remove yourself as quickly as possible from the potential threat.
  • If you think someone is at risk of assault or abuse, you should consider it an emergency and act to support that person. You can call the police or ask for help from other people, intervene directly if safe, or create a distraction to help remove the potential victim from the situation.
  • If you feel you are being followed, try to get the attention of people nearby, run/walk to a well-lit and/or more populated area, and call 911 to ask for help.

UCPD shares these Safety Tips while recognizing that perpetrators, and not their victims or survivors, are solely responsible for their actions.

The UCSB Police Department’s CSO Safety Escort Program is a free service provided to members of the UCSB community as a safe alternative to walking alone at night. Call (805) 893-2000 to request a CSO escort. For more information: https://www.police.ucsb.edu/cso/cso-safety-escorts.

**UCPD encourages printing and posting of this Timely Warning for further community notification.**

WHAT IS THIS NOTICE?  

In compliance with the Clery Act, Timely Warnings are issued by the UCSB Police Department when certain (Clery Act) crimes occurring on campus property, properties controlled by campus-affiliated organizations, or public property immediately adjacent to campus are determined to be a serious or continuing threat to the campus community. Timely Warnings are intended to prevent similar crimes and to provide information that will assist community members in protecting themselves.