Annual Campus Security & Fire Safety Report (Clery Report)

Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report


About the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (aka The Clery Act)

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, also known as the "Campus Security Act," is a federal law requiring colleges and universities to take specific steps to prevent crimes and collect and disclose information about crime on and around the campuses.  The law requires that the College publish an annual report which includes information about policies, procedures, and crime statistics.   The law has been amended many times, most recently in March 2013, when Congress reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), requiring a new focus on sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

On or before October 1 of each year, Teachers College publishes the Teachers College Annual Campus Security & Fire Safety Report.  It includes crime data for the three prior calendar years.  In response to VAWA, commencing in 2014, all Annual Campus Security & Fire Safety reports will include data on domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. 

Clery reportable crimes:
  • Aggravated Assault
  • Arson
  • Burglary
  • Forcible Sex Offense
  • Hate crimes
  • Liquor, drug, or weapon law violations
  • Motor vehicle theft
  • Murder//non-negligent manslaughter
  • Negligent manslaughter
  • Nonforcible sex offenses
  • Robbery

Hate Crimes
In 2008 the law regarding hate crime reporting was expanded to include incidents of theft, simple assault, intimidation, and vandalism where a person was targeted based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, or ethnicity.

Not Sure?
If you doubt whether a situation is reportable, please err on the side of caution and report it to Public Safety.  Please do not attempt to investigate or determine further facts of a situation - make the report.  Appropriate College personnel will contact you if additional information is needed.

Timely Warnings, a.k.a. Clery Crime Alerts
A critical part of this law requires the College to issue safety alerts about crimes that may pose an ongoing risk to the community.

How do I report the crime?

If someone has been injured, if the situation is life-threatening, or in an emergency, call 911.

Public Safety can be reached by dialing (212) 678-3220 or 678-3333.

Victims may remain anonymous, and the Campus Security Authority should still file a report if it is believed that the crime has been reported in good faith.

Definitions of Clery Act crimes

  • Aggravated assault: Causing or attempting to cause serious bodily injury.  Assault with a weapon.
  • Arson: Willful or malicious burning or attempts to burn property.
  • Burglary: Unlawful entry of a structure (including all attempts) intending to commit a crime therein.
  • Forcible sex offense: Any sex act directed against another, forcibly and against that person's will, and all actions to where the victim cannot consent.
  • Hate crimes: Any crime involving bodily injury motivated by the actor's perception of the victim's race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability.
  • Liquor law, drug, or weapons violations: (where there has been an arrest or disciplinary referral).
  • Motor vehicle thefts: Including all attempted thefts.
  • Murder and non-negligent manslaughter: The willful, non-negligent killing of one human being by another.
  • Negligent manslaughter: The killing of another person through gross negligence.
  • Nonforcible sex offenses: Incest or statutory rape.
  • Robbery: Taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, the threat of force or violence, or by placing the victim in fear.

Hate Crimes

Teachers College, Columbia University must also report statistics for hate (bias) related crimes.  Hate crimes are defined as any of the above offenses (Group A- below) and any other crime involving bodily injury reported to local police agencies or to a campus security authority that manifest evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the perpetrator's bias, or the perpetrator perceived the person to be in one of the protected group categories.  There are eight types of bias categories as per the FBI's UCR Hate Crime Data Collection Guidelines and Training Guide:             

Race:  A preformed negative attitude toward a group of persons who possess common physical characteristics such as skin color, eyes, and hair, facial features genetically transmitted which distinguish them as a distinct division of humankind, e.g., Asians, blacks, whites.

Gender:  A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons because those persons are either male or female.  Gender bias is a Clery Act-specific term not found in the FBI's Hate Crime Data Collection Guidelines.                                    

Religion:  A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons who share the same religious beliefs regarding the origin and purpose of the universe and the existence or nonexistence of a supreme being, e.g., Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Muslims, atheists, etc. 

National Origin: Ethnicity/National Origin Bias- A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of people whose members identify with each other through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, common culture (often including a shared religion), and idealogy that stresses common ancestry.  (This definition is not available in the FBI Hate Crimes Guidelines but is only defined as "Ethnicity/National Origin" in the ED handbook)

Gender Identity: A person's internal sense of being male, female, or a combination of both; that inner sense of a person's gender may differ from the person's gender assigned at birth.  Gender identity bias is a pre-formed negative opinion or attitude toward a person or group of persons based on their actual or perceived gender identity, e.g., bias against transgender or gender non-conforming individuals.                         

Sexual orientation:  A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons based on their sexual attraction toward, and responsiveness to, members of their own sex or members of the opposite sex, e.g., gays, lesbians, heterosexuals.                                 

Ethnicity/national origin:  A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons of the same race or national origin who share common or similar traits, languages, customs, and traditions, e.g., Arabs, Hispanics.    

Disability:  A preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons based on their physical or mental impairment/challenges, whether such disability is temporary or permanent, congenital or acquired by heredity, accident, injury, advanced age, or illness.                           

 

Hate crimes include any offense in the following two groups:

Group A Group B
Murder and Non-negligent manslaughter  Larceny-theft
Forcible sex offenses  Simple assault
Nonforcible sex offenses  Intimidation

Robbery

Destruction/damage/vandalism of property

 

Aggravated assault   
Burglary  
Motor vehicle theft  
Arson  

 

Hate (bias) crimes in Group B (Group B-above) are by the type of bias as defined below for the following classifications: larceny-theft, Destruction/damage/vandalism of property, 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.

VandalismTo 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.

IntimidationTo unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through threatening words and other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to 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.


Note: If a hate crime occurs where there is an incident involving intimidation, vandalism, larceny, simple assault, or other bodily injuries, the law requires that the statistic be reported as a hate crime even though there is no requirement to report the crime classification in any other area of the compliance document.

 

A hate or bias-related crime is not a separate, distinct crime but is the commission of a criminal offense motivated by the offender's bias.  For example, a subject assaults a victim, which is a crime.  If the facts of the case indicate that the offender was motivated to commit the offense because of his bias against the victim's race, gender, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc... The assault is then also classified as a hate/bias crime.


 

Questions?

Please contact the Office of Public Safety at 212-678-3111 if you have any questions or concerns about your responsibilities under this law.  

 

For emergencies, call 911.  Public Safety can be reached 24/7 at (212) 678-3333.

2023 Annual Campus Security & Fire Safety Report

(For the 2023-2024 academic year, containing crime
statistics for calendar years 2022, 2021, & 2020)

2022 Annual Security Report thumbnail

2022 Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report

(For the 2022-2023 academic year, containing crime
statistics for calendar years 2021, 2020, & 2019)

2021 Annual Security Report thumbnail

2021 Annual Campus Security & Fire Safety Report

(For the 2021-2022 academic year, containing crime
statistics for calendar years 2020, 2019, & 2018)

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