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Campus Crime: Difficulties Meeting Federal Reporting Requirements

NCJ Number
170237
Author(s)
M Sharma; S G Stenersen; R J Thomas
Date Published
1997
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Due to concern during the 1996-1997 period that colleges were not fully complying with Federal campus security requirements, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed Department of Education (DOE) regulations and other policy guidance, interviewed DOE officials at headquarters and regional offices and college officials, analyzed campus security reports generated by 25 colleges, examined State statutes, and spoke with representatives of campus safety and related interest groups.
Abstract
The GAO found that colleges were having difficulty complying with the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act enacted in 1990 and that the DOE only recently began a systematic effort to monitor compliance. Starting in 1991, the DOE issued policy guidance to colleges for implementing the law's crime reporting requirements and also provided technical assistance to individual colleges upon request. Considerable variation was observed in procedures used by colleges to decide what incidents to include in their security reports and what categories to use in classifying certain crimes. Specific areas of difficulty included deciding how to include incidents reported to campus officials other than law enforcement officers, interpreting Federal requirements for reporting sexual offenses, and reporting data on hate crimes. Ways to improve the consistency and completeness of campus crime reporting are noted. Appendixes provide additional information on the scope and methodology of the GAO analysis and provisions of State open campus crime record laws, as well as DOE comments. 2 tables

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