How Safe Are Our Campuses? What the Clery Numbers Tell Us Gary J. Margolis Steven J. Healy
May 06, 2015
How Safe Are Our Campuses? What the Clery
Numbers Tell Us
Gary J. MargolisSteven J. Healy
© Margolis Healy & Associates, LLC
Agenda
• What’s Required
• What The Numbers Tell Us
• Enhancing Reporting
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True or False
• Crime on campuses has increased over the past 5 years?
• I’ve had a major violent incident on my campus over the past 3 years?
• Sexual assault reporting on my campus has increased over the past 3 years?
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Why the Myth?
• “If it bleeds, it leads!”
• The World is Flat
• Cluster of high profile incidents
• Growth of advocacy groups
• Predictable Surprises
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What’s Required
• The Clery Act requires institutions to disclose 3 general categories of crime statistics: 7 Clery Act Crimes;
Hate Crimes—incidents motivated by bias;
Arrests and Disciplinary Referrals for Action for Weapons Violations, Drug Abuse Violations and Liquor Law Violations.
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Population
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What The Numbers Tell Us
• Campuses are generally very safe places
• Crime is relatively flat, at least over the past 6 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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What The Numbers Tell Us
2006 2007 2008 2009 20103
5
3.568 3.573
3.763.676 3.714
VIOLENT CRIMES PER 1000 STUDENTS
VIOLENT CRIMES PER 1000 STUDENTS
Year
Mean p
er
1000
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How Disclosed?
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What The Numbers Tell Us
2006 2007 2008 2009 20100
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
0.627
0.7870.738
0.9070.88
WEAPONS VIOLATIONS PER 1000 STUDENTS
WEAPONS VIOLATIONS PER 1000 STUDENTS
Year
Mean p
er
1000
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How Disclosed?
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What The Numbers Tell Us
2006 2007 2008 2009 20100
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
10.86211.593
10.67310.204
9.323
ALCOHOL VIOLATIONS PER 1000 STUDENTS
ALCOHOL VIOLATIONS PER 1000 STUDENTS
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How Disclosed?
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What The Numbers Tell Us
2006 2007 2008 2009 20105.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
6
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.117
5.986
5.907
5.639
6.221
PROPERTY CRIMES PER 1000 STUDENTS
PROPERTY VIOLATIONS PER 1000 STUDENTS
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How Disclosed?
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What The Numbers Tell Us
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How Disclosed?
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What The Numbers Tell Us
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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 violence 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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How to Enhance Reporting
• Provide multiple ways for people to report
• Get the word out
• Forge relationships with likely first responders and advocates
• Review processes for the most complex crimes
• Train CPS, student affairs, others on initial intake
• Acknowledge interconnected nature of both compliance & crimes17
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How to Enhance Reporting
• Transparency
• Accountability
• Education
• Collaboration
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Conclusion
• Our campuses are reasonably safe places
• Crimes do occur – are you ready?
• Clery crime data can be useful, if you use it
• Making it useful (and accurate) requires collaboration
• Collaboration and coordination are key
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CAMPUS SENTINEL