Original Date: 3/31/2020 * Last Revision Effective: 3/31/2020
Policy Contact: Vice President, Administrative Services
Purpose
The following procedures are established to implement Policy 1480, Clery Act Compliance.
Procedures
The Bellevue College (BC) Public Safety Office is responsible for issuing timely warnings related to the Clery Act; and emergency notifications to alert individuals located on or within the Clery reporting geography (“campus community”) to dangerous situations. Anyone with information warranting a timely warning or emergency notification should report that information to the BC Public Safety Office as soon as possible.
Public safety will issue timely warnings or emergency notifications as appropriate to keep the campus community informed about safety and security matter on an ongoing basis and to equip members of the campus community with information to prevent or avoid harmful situations.
Communication
Timely warnings and emergency notifications will be distributed through methods likely to reach the entire campus community, such as BC-Alerts, all-college emails, and bulletins posted on building entrances and exits.
Timely Warnings
Timely warnings are made in response to the occurrence of Clery reportable crimes. The public safety director, in consultation with the BC Emergency Notification Team, will evaluate the need to issue a timely warning on a case-by-case basis after considering the following:
- The nature of the crimes, assessed continuing danger to the campus community, and the impact on law enforcement investigation efforts;
- Whether a Clery reportable crime, occurring within the institution’s Clery geography, has been reported to a campus security authority or the police;
- Whether the reported crime is considered by appropriate college staff to represent a serious or continuing threat to students and employees.
Public safety and/or appropriate college staff are responsible for distributing the warning based on this procedure and will document timely warnings through report management software. The record of timely warnings is available to members of the campus community or the public upon request.
Contents of Timely Warnings
The amount and type of information in timely warnings will vary depending on the circumstances of the triggering crime. In compliance with the U.S. Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019, the names of crime victims will not be published in timely warnings. A timely warning will typically include the following, unless issuing any of this information would risk compromising law enforcement efforts:
- Date, time, and duration of incident;
- Nature of threat, whether serious or ongoing;
- Brief description of the incident;
- Information that will promote safety and potentially aid in the prevention of similar crimes (crime prevention or safety tips);
- Suspect(s) description when deemed appropriate and if there is sufficient detail;
- Remind of ways to report similar situations;
- Appropriate contact information (e.g., police agency, BC Public Safety, BC Title IX Coordinator);
- Other information as deemed appropriate by the public safety director or emergency notification team.
BC Public Safety will not issue timely warnings for Clery reportable crimes if:
- Public safety or police apprehend the subject(s) and resolve the threat(s) of imminent danger for members of the campus community;
- A report was not filed with law enforcement of BC Public Safety was not notified of the crime in a manner that would allow appropriate staff to make a timely warning decision.
Public Safety Bulletins
In some cases, public safety may issue bulletins to the campus community to address conditions or incidents that do not meet the requirements of a timely warning, such as local road closures, observable trends in minor crimes (e.g., petty thefts, vandalism), wide-spread illness, or other possible impact so the overall well-being of the campus community.
Emergency Notification
BC Public Safety or the emergency notification team will issue emergency notifications to immediately notify all or part of the campus community of a confirmed and significant emergency or dangerous situation. These cases involve an immediate threat to the health or safety of individuals that is currently occurring on the campus or immediately threatening the campus.
The public safety director or designee, in consultation with the emergency notification team, is responsible for determining whether an emergency notification is appropriate. They also determine the content of the notification and its distribution. Emergency notification content and follow-up information will be provided to the broader community on a case-by-case basis as appropriate for community safety.
Responsibilities
BC Emergency Notification Team
The emergency notification team determines whether to issue a timely warning or emergency notification and assists the director of public safety in message content. The team is comprised of the following:
- Director of public safety or designee
- Emergency management coordinator
- Vice president, administrative services or designee
- Additional members such as the public information officer (PIO) or designee; or representatives from human resources; student affairs; housing; diversity, equity and inclusion; or Title IX, depending on circumstances.
Definitions
Clery Reportable Crimes
Criminal Offenses:
- 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 Crimes (any of the above-mentioned offenses, and any incidents of the following with obvious bias):
- Larceny-theft
- Simple Assault
- Intimidation
- Destruction/damage/vandalism
Arrest and Referrals for Disciplinary Action:
- Weapons law violations
- Drug abuse violations
- Liquor law violations
Clery Reporting Geography
- On-main campus (anywhere)
- On-satellite campus (anywhere)
- ON-campus student housing
- Public property within campus bounds
- Public property immediately adjacent to the campus
- Non-campus buildings and property owned or controlled (leased) by the institution that are used for educational purposes and frequently used by students but are not a part of the core campus, or those owned or controlled by a student organization officially recognized by the institution (e.g., fraternities, sororities, student clubs)
Relevant Laws and Other Resources
Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics [PDF] Act or Clery Act (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations 34 C.F.R. 668.46)
U.S. Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585
BC Policy 1480, Clery Act Compliance
BC Policy 1480P, Clery Act Compliance (Procedures)
Revision History
Original 3/31/2020
Approved By
President’s Cabinet
Last Updated October 23, 2023