Looking through the University of Wisconsin Police Department’s daily crime log is, for the most part, pretty boring. The one-line incident descriptions show just how much of their time is spent on routine tasks such as detox conveyances and fire alarm checks.

Every once in a while, more worrisome entries appear. On Feb. 21, “threats-harassment” was reported at Helen C. White. “Sexual assault offenses” were recorded at 600 Highland Ave., better known as UW Hospitals and Clinics, on Feb. 14.

Unless you read the crime log on a daily basis, chances are this is the first time you heard of these incidents. They were not picked up by the media, and UWPD certainly did not expand on them with a public incident report.

It is concerning that UWPD does not take the time to include details on more serious crimes. Instead, that duty falls to UW Communications and the local media – if they are lucky enough to get in contact with a UWPD representative.

UWPD has made large strides over the last year to improve their communications with the public. Employees like Sgt. Aaron Chapin have emerged as reliable, helpful sources. UWPD is reachable by phone, even after hours.

Unsettling cases persist, however. In December, a sexual assault was reported in Witte Hall, and The Badger Herald’s requests for information were not returned. UW never released further information on the incident.

Still, by law, UWPD is doing their job. The federal Clery Act requires campuses to keep and make public a 60-day crime log. Older reports must be made available within two days. Failure to do so can result in a $27,500 fine per violation.

But when “admin code violations” and “all other except traffic” are considered acceptable descriptions of incidents that merit inclusion in the log, what are we really learning? The point of the Clery Act is to keep campuses informed of relevant crimes and statistics. “Sexual assault offenses” tells us almost nothing.

UWPD must start publishing full reports on incidents of interest to the UW community. When an assault happens in a dorm, we need to know as many details as possible without compromising the privacy of the victim. If a theft happens in a library, we want to know where and what. The Madison Police Department does this everyday, with successful results.

Public safety is about more than responding to the scene of a crime; it means keeping the public informed. The bare minimum required by law is not enough. UWPD should jump at the chance to embrace transparency by making an actually helpful amount of information easily accessible.