CSA Training Information

Clery Act: CSA Training Information

Identification and Responsibilities of “Campus Security Authorities”

Introduction

According to a federal law known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, Yale University is required to disclose “statistics concerning the occurrence of certain criminal offenses reported to local law enforcement agencies or any official of the institution who is defined as a ‘Campus Security Authority.’

Major sources for this information are:

  • Police reports from the Yale and New Haven Police Departments, as well as law enforcement agencies in other locations where Yale has operations.
  • Individuals other than the police on campus to whom students might report certain crimes or incidents. In Clery terminology, these individuals are designated as “Campus Security Authorities” or CSAs.

Roles and Responsibilities of CSA

A CSA is defined as follows: 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. Any individual with significant responsibility for student and campus activities is a CSA.

CSAs are responsible for reporting crimes and other incidents to the Deputy Vice President for Human Resources and Administration for inclusion in the Annual Campus Security Report. CSAs do not and should not investigate or verify incidents. The Office of Administration provides a form for reporting and distributes it twice a year to CSAs. It is also accessible electronically here. CSA’s are encouraged to immediately forward reports of crimes so that they may be assessed and evaluated to determine if they present an ongoing threat to the campus community.

Collecting and Submitting CSA data

To assist with data collection, the Deputy Vice President for Human Resources and Administration sends an email with a link to an online form to all those who have been identified as CSAs asking them to report incidents NOT reported the the police. Some students may report a crime or incident to a CSA rather than to law enforcement as part of a desire to keep the incident confidential. CSAs are not required to disclose a student’s name on the form. If available, however, please include some identifying information, such as residential college and class year, to help avoid any double reporting.

CSAs are not required to gather police reports that may involve students in their areas; police reports are collected from the respective police departments. If a student has reported a crime or offense to a CSA and also to the police, please note that on the form.

Hate Crimes

Yale University is also required to report statistics for hate (bias) related crimes by the type of bias as defined below for the following classifications: murder/non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, sex offenses (forcible and non-forcible), robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson and larceny, vandalism, intimidation, and simple assault (see definitions below).

Larceny: The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.

Vandalism: To willfully or maliciously destroy, injure, disfigure, or deface any public or private property, real or personal, without the consent of the owner or person having custody or control by cutting, tearing, breaking, marking, painting, drawing, covering with filth, or any other such means as may be specified by local law.

Intimidation: To unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack.

Simple Assault: An unlawful physical attack by one person upon another where neither the offender displays a weapon, nor the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration or loss of consciousness. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter: the willful killing of one human being by another.

Location of Crimes (Clery Geography)

The Clery Act requires the reporting of crimes and incidents that occur in particular locations.

These include:

On Campus: Any building or property owned or controlled by Yale University within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area and used by Yale in direct support of, or in a manner related to, Yale’s educational purposes, including residence halls; and any building or property, that is owned by Yale but controlled by another person, is frequently used by students, and supports institutional purposes (such as a food or other retail vendor).

On Campus Student Housing Facility: Any student housing facility that is owned or controlled by Yale, or is located on property that is owned or controlled by Yale, and is within the reason- ably contiguous geographic area that makes up the campus is considered an on-campus student housing facility.

Public Property: All public property, including thoroughfares, streets, sidewalks, and parking facilities, that is within the campus, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

Non Campus: Any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by Yale; or any building or property owned or controlled by Yale that is used in direct support of, or in relation to, Yale’s educational purposes, is frequently used by students, and is not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of Yale.

Crimes and other incidents involving students that meet the definition in the previous section but occur in a private house off campus, or in another town or location, and are not required to be reported in the University Annual Campus Security Report. If you are not sure of the location of an incident, please note that on the form.

Questions about Geography: If you have any questions about whether a crime should be reported, please fill out the crime statistic report form and note your question. We will make the final determination of whether the crime will be included in the Annual Report.

For Questions or Clarification

Please contact, Director of Compliance Lisa Skelly-Byrnes (203-432-1851), or email her at csa.reporting@yale.edu if you have any questions or need clarification about any aspect of CSA reporting.