Amendments to the Campus Security Act (also known as the Clery Act), a federal law that mandates colleges and universities to compile and publish crime statistics for their campuses, requires that campus security authorities report crime statistics for inclusion in the college’s Annual Security Report. The term “campus security authority” has been defined by the United States Department of Education to include advisors to student organizations, athletic team coaches, members of the Public Safety Department, members of the Dean of Students Office, members of the Residence Life Office and others on campus who have significant responsibility for student activities.
Crimes that must be reported to Public Safety include:
- Aggravated assault
- Burglary
- Motor vehicle theft
- Arson
- Arrests for liquor, drug or weapons violations
- Hate crimes (includes all crimes on this list) and larceny/theft, simple assault, intimidation and destruction/damage/vandalism of property). A hate crime is any crime manifesting evidence that the victim was selected because of the victim’s actual or perceived race, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin or disability
- Murder and non-negligent manslaughter
- Negligent manslaughter
- Sex Offenses
- Robbery
- Domestic Violence
- Dating Violence
- Stalking
Because of the law’s complex reporting and classification requirements, the most reasonable and effective way to manage the reporting is as follows: If you observe any crime listed above, or if any person reveals to you that they were a victim of, perpetrator of, or witness to any crime listed above, immediately contact Public Safety at x3666. Please do not investigate the crime or attempt to determine if a crime in fact took place. Simply report the information you have to Public Safety. If you are in doubt as to whether a crime is reportable, please err on the side of reporting the matter.
If you have questions regarding your reporting obligations, please contact Fred Behr, Director of Public Safety, at extension x3636 for clarification. Thank you for your assistance in fulfilling these federal requirements and allowing us to compile accurate statistics for this report.