Under Clery, a crime is “reported” when it is brought to the attention of a campus security authority or local law enforcement personnel by a victim, witness, other third party or even the offender. It doesn’t matter whether or not the individuals involved in the crime, or reporting the crime, are associated with the institution. If a campus security authority receives the crime information and believes it was provided in good faith, he or she should document it as a crime report. In “good faith” means there is a reasonable basis for believing that the information is not simply rumor or hearsay. That is, there is little or no reason to doubt the validity of the information.
“Campus security authority” is a Clery-specific term that encompasses four groups of individuals and organizations associated with an institution.
- A campus police department or a campus security department of an institution. If your institution has a campus police or security department, those individuals are campus security authorities. A security department can be as small as one person.
- Any individual or individuals who have responsibility for campus security but who do not constitute a campus police department or a campus security department (e.g., an individual who is responsible for monitoring the entrance into institutional property). This includes individuals who provide security at a campus parking kiosk, monitor access into a campus facility, act as event security or escort students around campus after dark.
- Any individual or organization specified in an institution’s statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which students and employees should report criminal offenses.
- An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline and campus judicial proceedings. An official is defined as any person who has the authority and the duty to take action or respond to particular issues on behalf of the institution.
If someone has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, he or she is a campus security authority.
Examples of individuals who meet the criteria for being campus security authorities include:
- A dean of students who oversees student housing, a student center or student extracurricular activities.
- A director of athletics, a team coach or a faculty advisor to a student group.
- A student resident advisor or assistant or a student who monitors access to dormitories.
- A coordinator of Greek affairs.
- A physician in a campus health center, a counselor in a campus counseling center or a victim advocate or sexual assault response team in a campus rape crisis center if they are identified by your school as someone to whom crimes should be reported or if they have significant responsibility for student and campus activities. However, if these individuals are not identified as people to whom crimes should be reported or do not have significant responsibility for student and campus activities, they would not be considered CSAs.
Examples of individuals who would not meet the criteria for being campus security authorities include:
- A faculty member who does not have any responsibility for student and campus activity beyond the classroom.
- Clerical or cafeteria staff.