VA Campus Safety Forum - Clery & IBRS - What The Numbers Tell Us

What the Clery Numbers Tell Us &

Upcoming Changes

Virginia Campus Safety ForumMarch 20, 2012

Steven J. HealyMHA Managing Partner

© Margolis Healy & Associates, LLC

Agenda

• What’s Required

• What They Tell Us

• Enhancing Reporting

• Campus SaVE Act

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What’s Required• The Clery Act requires institutions to disclose 3 general categories of crime statistics: Criminal Offenses—Criminal Homicide, including: a)

Murder and Non-negligent Manslaughter, and b) Negligent Manslaughter; Sex Offenses; Robbery; Aggravated Assault; Burglary; Motor Vehicle Theft; and Arson.

Sex Offenses include Forcible and Non-forcible incidents

Hate Crimes—Any of the above-mentioned offenses, and any incidents of Larceny-Theft, Simple Assault, Intimidation, or Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property that were motivated by bias;

Arrests and Referrals for Disciplinary Action for Weapons: Carrying, Possessing, Etc., Drug Abuse Violations and Liquor Law Violations.

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Mechanics

“A crime is reported when it is brought to the attention of a campus security authority or the local police by a victim, witness, other third party, or even the offender.”

• An institution must disclose crime reports regardless of whether any of the individuals involved in either the crime itself, or in the reporting of the crime, are associated with the institution.

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How Disclosed?

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How Disclosed?


What Do the Numbers Tell Us?

Absolutely Nothing!

Or, maybe a little, depending on how you use them

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What The Numbers Tell Us

• Campuses are generally very safe places

• Crime is relatively flat, at least over the past 3 years

• Urban campuses have unique challenges

• Community Colleges have very few crimes (reported)

• Campuses experience the same challenges as general society with respect to sexual assault reporting

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How Disclosed?

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How Disclosed?

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How Disclosed?

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How Disclosed?

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How Disclosed?

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How Disclosed?

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How Disclosed?

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How Disclosed?

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Challenges• For the consumer, stats are not easily accessible

They reside in a cumbersome database that doesn’t provide easy-to-read comparisons or analysis

Many of the stats that matter most to campus community members aren’t collected

Crime happens off-campus

Crime is often under- or unreported

Sexual Assault underreporting is significant (<5%)

Other factors impact collection and disclosure

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Factors

• Institutional policies

• Geographical settings

• Varying knowledge and skill level

• Relationships inside the institution

• Relationships with supporting agencies

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CCP Survey Results

• BJA/MHA Campus Crime Prevention Grant (www.campuscrimeprevention.org)

• Philadelphia CCP survey and focus groups:

Participants ranked the most prevalent crimes on campus: theft, alcohol, burglary, drug abuse violations, vandalism, and sexual assault.

• They highlighted sexual assault, intimate partner violence, robbery and theft as their most significant concerns

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CCP Survey Results

• Charlotte CCP survey respondents highlighted bike theft and drugs as the most prevalent crimes at their institutions.

• Similar to the Philadelphia respondents, those in Charlotte also indicated that addressing sexual assault should be the top priority.

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What You Can Do

• Ensure CSAs acknowledge, understand, and meet their reporting obligations (training);

• Collect stats from all CSAs (process)

• Enhance knowledge about collection and disclosure requirements

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How to Enhance Reporting

• Provide multiple ways for people to report

• Get the word out

• Forge relationships with likely first responders and advocates

• Review your processes for the most complex crimes

• Train CPS, student affairs, others on initial intake

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Campus SaVE Act

• The Campus SaVE Act (Sexual Violence Elimination Act (S. 834/HR 2016))

Seeks to address the sexual and gender violence

Will, in general, require institutions to report and do more regarding gender and sexual violence

• Changes the Clery Act in several significant ways Transparency

Accountability

Education (Primary Prevention)

Collaboration

• http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s834/text

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Primary Prevention

• What is Primary Prevention (from SaVE):

“Programming and strategies intended to stop dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking before it occurs through the changing of social norms and other approaches”

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Transparency

• Adds “domestic & dating violence” (IPV) and stalking incidents to reportable crimes:

• “Statistics concerning the occurrence on campus, in or on noncampus building or property, and on public property during the most most recent calendar year, and during the 2 preceding calendar year for which data are available – (iii) of domestic violence, dating violence, and

stalking incidents that were reported to campus police authorities or local police agencies

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Transparency

• Distribute a statement of policy re:

Such institution’s programs to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking; and,

The procedures that such institution will follow once an incident of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault , or stalking has been reported which shall include –

….

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Education and Prevention Programming

• The term ‘awareness program’ means any program designed to alert students at an institution of higher education to the prevalence of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including…

• The term ‘bystander intervention’ means safe and positive option that may be carried out by an individual to prevent harm or intervene when there is a risk o domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking against a person other than such individual

• …

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Accountability

• Prompt and equitable investigation and resolution for all complaints

• Trained campus officials conduct proceedings using a preponderance of the evidence standard

• Both parties may be accompanied by a supporter during proceeding

• Both parties will receive written outcomes of all disciplinary hearing at the same time

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Collaboration

• Requires collaboration between US Departments of Justice, Education, and Health & Human Services

Collect and disseminate best & promising practices for preventing and responding to sexual and gender violence

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Conclusion

• Clery crime data can be useful, if you use it

• Making it useful (and accurate) requires collaboration

• The Campus SaVE Act will impose significant new data collection, policy disclosure, and procedural obligations

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Documents

VA Campus Safety Forum - Clery & IBRS - What The Numbers Tell Us