Who Has To Report Clery Act Crimes?

So, you are the coach of the men's basketball team. You don't have to worry about this Clery Act reporting, Right? Wrong! The Department of Education states that if you are a "Campus Security Authority" then you must report crimes for inclusion in the crime statistics for your school if you become aware of them. If you have significant responsibility for student activities then you are considered a Campus Security Authority.

How do you determine if you are a campus security authority? The Department of Education leaves this determination a little foggy. It is determined by the function of the job you do, not by the title of the job. For instance, a faculty member who has no function other than to walk into the classroom and teach and does not advise students probably wouldn't need to be considered a campus security authority. However, if the faculty member has significant interaction with students outside of a classroom, such as a coach of a basketball or football team, then that faculty member would be considered a campus security authority. Also, if the faculty member is in an advisory role, then the faculty member must report crimes that they become aware of.

"The function of a campus security Authority is to report to the appropriate law enforcement personnel, either campus police or local police, or to an official or office designated by the institution, those allegations of Clery Act crimes that he or she concludes are made in good faith." (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, The Handbook for Campus Crime Reporting, Washington, D.C., 2005)

Failure to report crimes properly can lead to fines of up to $27,500 per violation so it is good to be aware of Clery and its complicated requirements. This is something that could put a crunch on your budgets if you are at a large school and something that could put you out of business if you are at a small school. It will pay to know whether you are a campus security authority or not.

Are you Ready?

As we fast approach the beginning of a new school year, we must ask ourselves the question. ARE WE READY?

Take a look around your campus. Make sure that maintenance items that need to be addressed are done quickly. Though this doesn't sound much like a security concern, it really is. If you campus looks run down or in a sad state of repair you are inviting crime to your campus. If it looks as if nobody cares you will find that criminals might take that to mean that you also don't care about crime. It is a psychological way of letting people know you care about all aspects of your campus.

Don't forget to check the street lights near your campus. Security should contact your local power company or city maintenance department to have street lights repaired. You can help facilitate repairs by making it easy to spot the light that is in need of repair. One school's security department marks the lights with yellow caution tape. It is available at Home Depot, Lowes, Galls and many other sources. Leave enough dangling that the breeze will cause it to move freely. This will make it easy for the repair people to spot because they usually do the repairs in the day time. (Why? I don't know!)

Check your own lighting. Have maintenance check your campus lights to make sure they are in proper working order. A dark corner of campus is very inviting to a criminal. Also, take a look in your dormitories and other buildings for fire exit lights that are not working. While you are in the buildings check to see that emergency lights operate in case of a power failure.

Take the remaining days of down time and check your radios, repeaters, vehicles, uniforms and see that all other equipment is in proper working order. In addition, while you are checking on things, make sure that any certifications that are necessary are up to date. This might include O.C. certification, baton, handcuffing, firearms training, practice and qualification, all in-service training and other requirements of your state.