Clery Act Information

The Clery Act

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Formerly known as The Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act) requires colleges and universities receiving federal funds to notify community members as to whom is considered a "campus security authority."

The U.S. Department of Education defines a campus security authority as:

• A campus law enforcement unit.
• An individual or organization specified in an institution's statement of campus security policy as the individual or organization that has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, but does not have significant counseling responsibilities.
• Examples of campus security authorities include campus safety personnel, residence life personnel, faculty advisors, athletic or academic team coaches, directors, deans and department heads. Campus safety authorities are required to report criminal occurrences to the campus law enforcement unit (Department of Campus Safety) under the annual reporting and timely warning requirements of the Act. It shall be the responsibility of the Department of Campus Safety to investigate reports of criminal activity on campus.

The Department of Campus Safety will issue Crime Alerts for crimes occurring on Biola’s Clery Geography (On Campus, Public Property and Noncampus property) that present a serious or continuing threat to the campus community, as required by the timely warning notice requirements of the Clery Act to aid in the prevention of similar occurrences. Crime Alerts will be distributed as soon as pertinent information is available, in a manner that withholds the names of victims as confidential, and with the goal of aiding in the prevention of similar occurrences.

Individuals on campus should notify the Department of Campus Safety of crimes as soon as possible.

The Department of Campus Safety will gather all pertinent information about the nature of the crime from the reporting person and other available sources (these may include, but are not limited to: other witnesses, the University video camera system, the University card access system, and the City of La Mirada Department of Public Safety).

1. Based on the information available, the Chief of Campus Safety or his designee shall determine whether the crime presents a serious or continuing threat to the campus community. Crime Alerts are typically issued for the following Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR)/National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) crime classifications:

1. Murder/Non-Negligent Manslaughter
2. Aggravated Assault (cases involving assaults among known parties, such as two roommates fighting which results in an aggravated injury, will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if the individual is believed to be an ongoing threat to the larger Biola University community)
3. Robbery involving force or violence (cases including pickpocketing and purse snatching will typically not result in the issuance of a Crime Alert, but will be assessed on a case-by-case basis)
4. Sexual Assault (considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the facts of the case, when and where the incident occurred, when it was reported, and the amount information known by the Chief of Campus Safety, or designee). In cases involving sexual assault, they are often reported long after the incident occurred, thus there is no longer the opportunity to distribute a Crime Alert as a “timely” warning notice to the community. All cases of sexual assault, including stranger and non-stranger/acquaintance cases, will be assessed for potential issuance of a Crime Alert.
5. Major incidents of Arson
6. Crime Alerts may be issued for other Clery crimes as determined necessary by the Chief of Campus Safety, or his designee in his absence. Notices for other crime classifications and locations, even though not required by the law, may be issued as Public Safety Advisories.
7. Biola University is not required to issue a Crime Alert for crimes reported to pastoral and professional counselors because these reports may be made confidentially, however pastoral and professional counselors are encouraged to refer persons they are counseling to report crimes to Campus Safety on a voluntary, confidential basis for the purpose of allowing a Crime Alert to be distributed.
1. Based on the information available, the Chief of Campus Safety or his designee shall determine the content of the Crime Alert, the method by which to disseminate the warning to the campus community, and will issue/initiate the distribution of the Crime Alert.
2. Crime Alerts will typically be issued to current students and employees via email blast to all Biola University assigned email accounts. Crime Alerts may also be issued using some or all of the following methods of communication: posters, the campus newspaper, and the main University website. The content of the Crime Alert may include but is not limited to the nature of the crime, the area where the crime occurred, a description of the suspect(s), and safety tips. It is the responsibility of the Chief of Campus Safety or his designee to determine whether a crime presents a serious or continuing threat to the campus community and issue a Crime Alert if necessary.

The Chief of Campus Safety’s designee may include: the Campus Safety Administrative Operations Manager, Deputy Chief, Captain, Investigations and Clery Compliance Manager, Emergency Operations Manager, and Campus Safety officers.

Colleges and universities are required by law to publish an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report each year before October 1. These reports includes statistics for Biola’s campuses (La Mirada, New York, & Kyiv) for the previous three years concerning certain categories of reported crimes that occurred on campus, in other property owned or controlled by Biola University, and on public property immediately adjacent to and accessible from each campus.

The fire safety portion of these reports include statistics for the previous three years concerning reported instances of fire in residence halls, the number of evacuation drills performed, and information about fire detection & suppression systems in each residence hall.

In addition, these reports give information about services provided by Campus Safety, emergency preparedness and procedures, and institutional policies concerning crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, missing resident students, emergency notifications, alcohol and drug use, and policies and procedures on sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and stalking.

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report for each campus can be downloaded from the following websites:

• Main Campus
• New York Campus

Printed copies of the reports can be requested from the Campus Safety Office by calling (562) 903-4877.

The Campus Safety Daily Crime and Fire Safety Log is available for inspection online or at the Campus Safety Administrative Office on a daily basis.

The Crime and Fire Safety Log includes all crimes reported to Campus Safety in the past 60 days, and all fires in Campus residence halls reported to Campus Safety in the past 60 days.