Campus Security Authorities

Campus Security Authorities (CSAs)

Although every college wants its campus community to report criminal incidents to its campus police department, we know that this doesn’t always happen. For example, a victim of a sexual offense may turn to their coach for assistance, or a student whose car was stolen may report the theft to the Dean of Students. For this reason, the Clery Act requires all institutions to collect crime reports from a variety of individuals and organizations that are considered to be “campus security authorities” (CSAs) under the law.

A CSA is an individual, who by virtue of their college responsibilities, is designated to receive and report a criminal incident to the campus police department so that it may be included and published in the Annual Security Report. 

In order to be compliant with the federal regulations, all CSAs must go through annual training to familiarize themselves with what the Clery Act is, why it is important, who and what a CSA is, and why they are an important piece to Clery and campus safety. This page satisfies that requirement. On this page you’ll find:

• a short training video
• a brief quiz
• the Clery crimes defined
• Clery Geography outlined
• Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications explained and
• an electronic CSA report which can be used to report crimes. 

Why is this Important? 

• Compliance is an institutional responsibility.
• The Department of Education can impose fines up to $67,544 PER violation.
• The Department of Education can LIMIT funding or COMPLETELY DISQUALIFY the institution from federal funding.
• Prevention is key, but in the unfortunate event that a crime occurs these are more than statistics. These are our students, colleagues, family and loved ones. It is our responsibility to make sure we promote a safe and caring community here at NECC.

Campus Security Authority Training Video

The following video is the Clery Center Campus Security Authority Training Video. It is about 15 minutes long and explains who and what the Campus Security Authority is and does on the college campus. Please take a few minutes to watch the video to familiarize yourself with Jeanne Clery and the role of a CSA.

Once you complete the video, please take a moment to take the brief CSA Quiz, located below the video, to review what you have learned. Then please scroll through and read the remainder of the information, which is specific to Northern Essex Community College CSAs.  

password: csatraining

Campus Security Authority Quiz

Now that you have watched the video, please take this brief quiz. Once you have successfully completed the quiz, click the link to download your certificate. Please type your NAME and DATE of completion in the fields provided. Then email the certificate to ttrask@necc.mass.edu 

Who They Are

The Clery Act defines a CSA as any of the following categories:

• A campus police or a campus security department of a college.
• Any individuals who have responsibility for campus security but who do not constitute a campus police or a campus security department (e.g., an individual who is responsible for monitoring the entrance into college property).
• Any individual or organization specified in a college’s statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which students and employees should report criminal offenses.
• An official of a college who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline and campus judicial proceedings. An official is defined as any person who has the authority and the duty to take action or respond to particular issues on behalf of the institution.

CSAs at NECC include, but are not limited to: 

• Student Conduct Coordinator
• Title IX Coordinators
• Director of Athletics, coaches (head coaches, assistants and volunteers),  and trainers
• Department of Public Safety 
• Contract Security Officers
• Advisors of Student Clubs and Organizations
• Student Activities Coordinator
• Dean of Students
• Human Resources
• Provost and Assistant Provost
• International Admissions Director

What They Do

CSAs are responsible for reporting allegations of Clery Act crimes that are reported to them in their capacity as a CSA. 

If a CSA is notified of a crime in progress or an ongoing threat to the Northern Essex Community College Campus Community, they will contact the NECC Public Safety Department for assistance. It is important for any crime in progress or ongoing threat to be reported to as soon as possible as a Timely Warning or Emergency Notification may be necessary. More information about both can be found further down on the page.

Confidential Crime Reporting through CSAs

A Campus Security Authority is not required to disclose confidential information concerning an incident, such as information that would identify a victim of a crime who wishes to remain anonymous. However, CSAs are required to inform the Department of Public Safety of the existence of all known incidents, including confidential incidents. This is to ensure the capture of proper statistics to be included in the College’s Annual Security Report (ASR).

If a reporting party does not consent to the disclosure to the Department of Public Safety, CSAs are expected to inform the Department of Public Safety of the complainant’s wish for confidentiality and to report the incident for statistical purposes only. CSAs must report an incident without disclosing identifying information concerning the reporting party unless the reporting party consents to disclosure of his or her identity.

The College urges all community members to report any criminal incident to the Department of Public Safety. In the event an individual chooses not to report a crime, the College urges the person at least to disclose the occurrence of the incident to a CSA to be counted, as appropriate, in the College’s Annual Security Report.

Clery Act Reportable Crimes

The following crimes are designated as Clery Act Reportable Crimes:

Part 1 – Primary Crimes

• 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.
• AGGRAVATED ASSAULT – An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. Simple assaults are excluded.
• ARSON – Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc. Note that only fires determined through investigation to have been willfully or maliciously set are classified as arsons. Arson is therefore the only Clery Act offense that must be investigated before it can be disclosed. If other Clery Act offenses were committed during the arson incident, the most serious is counted in addition to the arson.
• BURGLARY – The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. Attempted forcible entry is included.
• ROBBERY – The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.
• MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT – The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. A motor vehicle is self-propelled and runs on the surface and not on rails. Motorboats, construction equipment, airplanes, and farming equipment are specifically excluded from this category.

Sex Offenses – The Clery Act has four defined sex offenses for which crime statistics must be collected on Clery geography. They are: rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape.

• RAPE – The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.
• FONDLING – The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age and/or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity.
• INCEST – Non forcible sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.
• STATUTORY RAPE – Non forcible sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.

Part 2 – Alcohol, drug and weapon violations

The Clery Act requires institutions collect statistics for violations of state law and or ordinances for drug, alcohol and weapons violations.

• LIQUOR LAW VIOLATIONS – The violation of laws or ordinances prohibiting: the manufacture, sale, transporting, furnishing, possessing of intoxicating liquor; maintaining unlawful drinking places; bootlegging; operating a still; furnishing liquor to a minor or intemperate person; using a vehicle for illegal transportation of liquor; drinking on a train or public conveyance; and all attempts to commit any of the aforementioned. (Drunkenness and driving under the influence are not included in this definition.)
• WEAPONS POSSESSION – The violation of laws or ordinances dealing with weapon offenses, regulatory in nature, such as: manufacture, sale, or possession of deadly weapons; carrying deadly weapons, concealed or openly; furnishing deadly weapons to minors; aliens possessing deadly weapons; and all attempts to commit any of the aforementioned.
• DRUG ABUSE VIOLATIONS – Violations of State and local laws relating to the unlawful possession, sale, use, growing, manufacturing, and making of narcotic drugs. The relevant substances include: Opium or Cocaine and their derivatives (Morphine, Heroin, Codeine); synthetic narcotics (Demerol, Methadone); and dangerous non-narcotic drugs (Barbiturates, Benzedrine).

Part 3 – Hate Crimes 

The Clery Act requires institutions collect crime statistics for hates crime associated with either the commission of a primary crime or the lesser offenses of larceny-theft, simple assault, intimidation, destruction of or vandalism of a buildings or property.

• HATE CRIMES – A Hate Crime is a criminal offense that manifests evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the perpetrator’s bias against the victim. Under the Clery Act, Hate Crimes include any of the following offenses motivated by bias: Murder and Non-negligent Manslaughter, Sexual Assault, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Motor Vehicle Theft, Arson, Larceny-Theft, Simple Assault, Intimidation, Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property. Larceny-Theft, Simple Assault, Intimidation, and Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property are included in your Clery Act statistics only if they are Hate Crimes

• LARCENY/THEFT- The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.
• SIMPLE ASSAULT – An unlawful physical attack by one person on 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.
• INTIMIDATION – To unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual attack. Includes cyber-intimidation if victim is threatened on Clery geography.
• DESTRUCTION, DAMAGE or VANDALISM of PROPERTY – To willfully or maliciously destroy, damage, deface, or otherwise injure real or personal property without the consent of the owner or the person having custody or control of the property.

Part 4: Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Crimes

• DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – A felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim; by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner; by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred; or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred.
• DATING VIOLENCE – Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting party’s statement with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.
• STALKING – Engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to (1) fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or (2) suffer substantial emotional distress. Course of conduct means two or more acts, including, but not limited to, acts in which the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about, a person, or interferes with a person’s property. Substantial emotional distress means significant mental suffering or anguish that may, but does not necessarily, require medical or other professional treatment or counseling. Reasonable person means a reasonable person under similar circumstances and with similar identities to the victim.

Clery Geography

The Clery Act requires NECC to report crimes based on where the crime occurs. NECC has three (3) campus locations: Haverhill, Lawrence, and The Heights at Haverhill (downtown Haverhill).

There are three types of locations subject to reporting in Clery geography: on-campus, non-campus building or property and public property. 

On-Campus Property

Any building or property owned or controlled by the campus within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area and used by the campus in direct support of, or in a manner related to, the campus’ educational purposes, including residence halls; and any building or property that is within or reasonably contiguous campus that is owned by the campus but controlled by another person, is frequently used by students, and supports campus purposes (e.g., a food or retail vendor).

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 Property

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

Examples of each are as follows:

On Campus Property

• Haverhill Campus – 100 Elliott St – all buildings within the campus grounds, the parking lots, and the athletic facilities.
• Lawrence Campus – 414 Common St, 420 Common St, 45 Franklin St, 78 Amesbury St, and the parking lots, which includes 52 Franklin St parking lot across from 45 Franklin St.
• The Heights at Haverhill Campus – Lobby area, elevator, 2nd, and 3rd floor of the building.

Non-Campus Property

• Any of the area high schools in which NECC conducts college classes e.g., Whittier high school, Amesbury high school, along with any location we conduct Non-Credit classes e.g., Pentucket Bank, Magellan Aerospace, as well as any location we lease space for athletics e.g., Haverhill Stadium, Team Boston Academy in North Reading.

Public Property

• Haverhill Campus – There are only two streets surrounding the Haverhill campus: Elliott St from Shattuck Rd to Kenoza Ave, Kenoza Ave from Elliott St to College Ave (NECC Entrance).
• Lawrence Campus – this is a bit more intricate as the campus encompasses more city streets. One example is, sidewalk, street, sidewalk on Common St from Franklin St to Amesbury St.

Timely Warning and Emergency Notification Information

One important aspect of the Clery Act is to provide notice if there is a potential emergency that threatens campus or the health and safety of students or employees. There are two types of required notifications – Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications.

What is a Timely Warning?

The Clery Act requires institutions to alert the campus community to certain crimes in a manner that is timely and will aid in the prevention of similar crimes. Although the Clery Act doesn’t define “timely,” the intent of a warning regarding a criminal incident(s) is to promote safety. This means that a warning will be issued as soon as pertinent information is available.

Timely Warnings are generally issued via email messages and text messages to students and employees.

The three criteria for determining the issuance of a Timely Warning are:

• A Clery Act crime has been reported; and
• The crime occurred in or on the institution’s Clery geography; and
• The crime represents a serious and continuing threat the students and employees.

What is Timely?

The Clery Act doesn’t define timely. The intent of a warning regarding a criminal incident(s) is to enable people to take measures that promote their safety. Again, this means that a warning will be issued as soon as pertinent information is available. Generally, there is no allowance for taking time to review video footage, interviewing involved parties beyond the initial report, or completing an investigation, etc. Even if all of the facts surrounding a Clery Act criminal incident that represents a serious and continuing threat to students and employees are not available or known, a Timely Warning must be issued.

What is an Emergency Notification?

Notice of any significant emergency or dangerous situation occurring on the campus involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees. This may be an approaching weather event such as a tornado, a hazardous material incident, a threat of violence, an armed person, or an outbreak of a serious contagious disease or illness. Emergency Notifications may also serve as a Timely Warning if the reported incident is also defined as a Clery crime.

Emergency Notifications may be delivered a number of different ways. These may include email messages, text messages, messages displayed on message boards on campus, messages through social media or any combination of these.

Submit Your Report Online

Campus Security Authorities are able to submit reports directly to Public Safety by filling out the Campus Security Authority Crime Report below.  If you have any questions or need assistance with the form, please contact the NECC Clery Coordinator at 978-556-3694 or email ttrask@necc.mass.edu.