Guide for Campus Security Authorities

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While all members of the Oklahoma State University community are encouraged to report crimes to the OSU Police Department, certain individuals known as Campus Security Authorities (CSAs) are required to report certain crimes which occurred on campus, in public areas surrounding campus, and in certain non-campus buildings owned or leased by OSU. All CSAs are required to complete annual training.

 

 

FAQ

 

• What is a Campus Security Authority?

  A Campus Security Authority (“CSA”) is someone who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities.  Designation as a CSA is based upon function, rather than upon title.  If the job function involves relationships with students, the person in that job is likely a CSA.  There are four categories of CSAs:

  • Campus police department or campus security department
  • Individuals who have responsibility for campus security but are not part of a campus police or security department (i.e. parking security, event security, access monitor to a campus facility)
  • Individuals specified in the institution’s statement of campus security policy as someone to whom crimes should be reported.  OSU’s list of designated individuals can be found at Pages 7-8 of the Annual Safety Report. 
  • Individuals with significant responsibility for student and campus activities (i.e. deans, student affairs professionals, faculty/staff advisors to student organizations, athletic coaches)
• How does the Clery Act Impact you?

  OSU encourages anyone with information about a crime to report that information to OSU Police at 405-744-6523.  However, many incidents are not reported to police and are instead reported to a trusted individual outside of the police department.  To ensure that crime information is accurately reported, the Clery Act designates certain individuals as Campus Security Authorities who must report incidents to police.

• Who is not a Campus Security Authority?

  Individuals who are not CSAs include faculty members with no responsibility for student and campus activity beyond the classroom and clerical or food services staff.  Please note that even if you are not a CSA, you may still be required to report as a Responsible Employee under Title IX if you receive a report of an incident of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking. Resources and reporting information can be found on the 1is2Many page. Training information for faculty and staff is also available online. 

• What are your responsibilities if you are a Campus Security Authority?

  As a CSA, you must report any Clery Act crimes to the OSU Police Department in a timely manner using the CSA Incident Report. Detailed instructions for completing the report are below.  You must report all crimes you witness or that are reported directly to you.  Making your report in a timely fashion allows the University to appropriately assess the necessity of issuing a timely emergency notification or warning to the campus community and assists in keeping the University community safe.

  You also must complete annual training. Please see CSA online training.

• When is a Campus Security Authority not required to make a report?

  Campus Security Authorities are not required to report incidents that:

  • They overhear other talking about;
  • That a student mentions during an in-class discussion;
  • That a victim mentions during a speech, workshop, or any other group presentation; or
  • That the CSA learns about in an indirect manner.
• What should a Campus Security Authority NOT do? 

  Campus Security Authorities are not responsible for determining whether or not a crime actually took place and should not investigate the reported crime.  CSAs should also not try to convince a victim to contact law enforcement if the victim chooses not to do so.

• What should a Campus Security Authority tell a reporting party?

  As a CSA, you should explain your role to a reporting party and assure them that no personally identifying information will be included in your report unless the reporting party wants it be included.  Explain that you are required to report for the purposes of crime statistics, even if the victim chooses not to file a report with law enforcement.  You should also let the reporting party know that they have the option to report to law enforcement if they so choose, but you should not try to convince them to report. 

  The following is a sample of what CSAs may tell a reporting party: “As part of my position on campus, I am required by law to report certain crimes to the OSU Police Department for the purposes of counting crimes. The Clery Incident Report will not include your name or any personally identifying information, and will include only the information you provide.  In addition, OSU provides information on reporting options (both confidential and non-confidential) to individuals who have experienced sexual violence and misconduct.  These resources are available at: https://1is2many.okstate.edu/reporting.”

• What crimes should be reported?

  The Clery Act requires that the following crimes be reported. The definitions for each are included on the CSA Incident Report:

  • Criminal Homicide (Murder and Non-Negligent Manslaughter)
  • Manslaughter by Negligence
  • Sexual Assault (Rape, Fondling, Incest, Statutory Rape)
  • Robbery
  • Aggravated Assault
  • Burglary
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
  • Arson
  • Hate Crime
  • Dating Violence
  • Domestic Violence
  • Stalking
  • Liquor Law Violation
  • Drug Law Violation
  • Weapons Law Violation

  Because the goal of the Clery Act is to provide accurate reports about crime occurring on or near the University campus, reports should only be made for Clery crimes that occur in four locations:

  • On campus property – property owned or controlled by the University within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area and used by the institution in direct support of, or in a manner related to, the institution’s educational purposes
  • On campus residential property – on campus residence halls
  • Non-campus property – property located off campus but owned or controlled by the University or by an officially recognized or registered student organization (i.e. a research site or lab that is owned or leased by the University, but is not located near the main campus)
  • Public property – sidewalks and streets immediately adjacent to campus

  If you are unsure where the crime reported to you occurred, submit a CSA report.

• How does a Campus Security Authority complete the CSA Reporting Form?

  Please see CSA Incident Reports

• What does the OSUPD do with completed CSA reports?

  OSU is required to annually disclose campus crime statistics, along with a number of security and safety policies.  The report is published by October 1 of each calendar year and includes statistics for the previous three calendar years.  OSUPD counts the number of crimes that are reported directly to OSUPD, to local law enforcement, and to CSAs and includes those statistics in the Annual Safety Report.  The current report is available at: http://safety.okstate.edu/. 

• Why is compliance with the Clery Act important?

  Compliance with the Clery Act allows OSU to better maintain a safe environment for all members of the University community.  It also allows OSU to annually provide important safety information to the University community.  Additionally, non-compliance with the Clery Act may result in fines being imposed on the University of up to $53,907 per violation.