Clery Compliance - SGSC Police - South Georgia State College

Clery Act

Annual Security & Fire Safety Reports

Clery-Related Policies

Clery Crimes

Campus Security Authorities (CSAs)

Clery Compliance Committee

Daily Crime & Fire Log

The Jeanne Clery Act

Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old Lehigh University freshman, was raped and murdered in her dorm room in April 1986. Her parents believe she and her fellow students would have been more cautious if they had known about other violent crimes at Lehigh. The Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990, later renamed the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) in 1998, requires higher education institutions receiving federal student financial aid funds to prepare, publish, and distribute campus security policies and crime statistics. It further requires higher education institutions to give timely warnings of crimes that represent a threat to the safety of students or employees and to disclose their campus security policies.

Clery Act Appendix Survivor's Rights and Clery Act Procedural Information Handbook for Campus Safety & Security Reporting

2024 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or Clery Act, signed in 1990, is a federal statute codified at 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f), with implementing regulations in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations at 34 C.F.R.668.46. The Clery Act requires all colleges and universities participating in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses. The United States Department of Education monitors compliance.

Consistent with those obligations, SGSC is required to compile Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports (ASFSR) of crime and fire reported on or near campus over the reporting period. This report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes on campus, in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by the institution, and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security and other matters.

The College's ASFSR is available to all current students and employees and all prospective students and employees upon request. A print copy of the most recent report is available upon request; email clery@sgsc.edu.

Should you be unable to access the ASFSR, please contact the SGSC Police Department by emailing campuspolice@sgsc.edu or by calling 912.260.4401.

SGSC's Clery Act Policy

The purpose of the Clery Act Policy is to ensure compliance with the Jeanne Clery Act by establishing College-wide standards for commitment to the safety and well-being of all members of the Campus Community; accordingly, each campus shall comply with the requirements of the Clery Act. This Policy affects the entire campus community and applies to all College personnel that have responsibility for campus safety and security and offices and individuals with “significant responsibility for student and campus activities.” As such, this law requires colleges and universities to collect and disclose information about crimes on or near campus and to share information about safety policies and procedures.

Missing Person's Policy

Most people that are thought to be missing return safely soon after being reported missing. Nonetheless, a small portion will suffer harm or become a victim of crime. This policy is meant to guide SGSC employees to act reasonably to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of its students. The goal is to respond to reports of a missing person in a consistent and effective manner.

Clery Act Crimes

Clery Act crimes are classified based on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Handbook. Although the law states that institutions must use the UCR for defining and classifying crimes, it doesn’t require Clery Act crime reporting to meet all UCR standards. Additionally, the UCR definition of crimes may define crimes differently than Georgia Penal Code.

General Offenses

Criminal Homicide:

Murder and Non-Negligent Manslaughter: the willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.
Manslaughter by Negligence: the killing of another person through gross negligence.

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.

Aggravated Assault: An unlawful attack by one person upon another person for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury.

Burglary; The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft.

Motor Vehicle Theft: the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.

Arson: Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, or personal property of another, etc.

Drugs, Alcohol, and Weapons

The College shall compile and disclose statistics for arrests and/or referrals for disciplinary action. If an individual is both arrested and referred for an offense, only the arrest will be disclosed.

VAWA Offenses

Violence Against Women Act

Any incidents of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

Sexual Assault

Any sexual act directed against another person, without consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent. There are four types of sexual assault counted for Clery Act purposes.

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. This offense includes the rape of both males and females.
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 or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity.
Statutory rape: Sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.
Incest: Sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.

Reporting Sexual Assault

Sexual Assault is the undesired physical contact of a sexual nature. No matter if those involved are strangers, casual acquaintances, dating, or even married, if a person uses force or the threat of force to coerce a person , it is illegal. Physical force does NOT have to be a component. Sexual assault can happen to anyone regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, or age. Sexual Assault has a profound impact on the victim. The University System of Georgia (USG) and SGSC do not tolerate any form of sexual violence and we encourage the campus community to report any instances of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking. Not all reports require a law enforcement response...there are ways to report confidentially and anonymously . Please refer to the list of Campus Security Authorities to whom you may report confidentially.

Sex Offender Registry

In accordance with O.C.G.A. § 42-1-12, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is the central repository for Georgia's Violent Sexual Offender Registry. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation makes every effort to ensure that the information contained in the Georgia Sex Offender Registry is accurate. As the information is provided by other agencies and entities and is continuously changing, the GBI makes no promise or any express or implied guarantee concerning the accuracy of this information.

Another resource to check for sex offenders in the United States and in Georgia is Family Watchdog.

Consent

What is consent?

Consent is permission for something to happen or an agreement to participate in an activity. Consent is essential for preventing sexual coercion and unwanted sexual behavior. Likewise, it is a vital component of mutual pleasure and healthy sexuality.
Consent is a voluntary, sober, informed, and mutual verbal agreement.
Consent is a process, which must be asked for every step of the way; if you want to move to the next level of sexual intimacy, just ask.
Consent cannot be assumed, even in a relationship. Being in a relationship does not mean that you have permission to have sex with your partner.
Consent can be withdrawn at any time, and consenting to one sexual activity does not automatically mean consenting to another sexual activity. Moving to the next level of intimacy requires that you ask.
The absence of a “no” doesn’t mean “yes.”
Both people must be involved in the decision to have sex.
Consent is an active process of willingly, knowingly, and freely choosing to participate in sex of any kind with another person(s).
When there is an invitation of sex of any kind, and consent is mutually given , the answer on everyone’s part must be an enthusiastic, resounding “Yes.”
Consent can be given using words or actions—but it must be clearly communicated that there is a willingness to engage in the sexual activity. If there is uncertainty, sexual activity needs to stop. Discuss each person’s willingness to continue remembering that both parties must communicate interest before moving ahead with sexual activity. Consent can and should be incorporated as an essential and fun part of sexual communication… fundamentally, consent requires communication!

What is not consent?

Manipulated or coerced sexual activity
Silence or lack of resistance
A person who is incapacitated by alcohol or drug use, or for any other reason, cannot consent. A person who is intoxicated cannot legally give consent. If you’re too tipsy to make decisions and communicate with your partner, you’re too drunk to consent.
- Common warning signs that a person may be incapacitated include slurred speech, vomiting, or unsteadiness. Alcohol and drugs can lower inhibitions and create confusion over whether consent is freely given.

Watch a very simple explanation by clicking in the title below!

Domestic and Dating Violence

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 and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

Domestic Violence is often referred to as intimate partner violence while dating violence is violence committed by a person who has been or is an a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature. The determination of the existence of dating violence is based on the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interactions between the persons involved.

These forms of violence generally display an ongoing pattern of power and control by one over the other. Like sexual assault, domestic violence has no respect to age, race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or sexual preference. No matter your view of what an intimate relationship should resemble, everyone deserves respect and to feel safe. No one deserves to be abused and is never the fault of the victim!

Domestic and dating violence includes physical abuse, emotional/verbal abuse, economic, psychological, and/or sexual abuse and this abusive behavior can take many forms. The results are often crippling depression, anxiety, and a host of many worse problems. Be concerned if your partner:

Is excessively controlling, jealous, accusing, and/or possessive
Attempts to isolate you from family and friends
Has a quick temper or unpredictable reactions to ordinary things
Often exhibits violent behavior toward animals, children, or other people
Pressures you for sex
Has a history of bad relationships
Has a strong belief in extreme gender roles
Continually puts you down
Stalks, humiliates, manipulates, terrorizes, coerces
Blames you for the abuse

Says things like:

"If you really loved me…"
"You just don't understand…"
"No one has ever loved/understood me like you do"
"You'd be nothing without me"

The College Power and Control Wheel has been adopted to reflect the experience of college students in violent relationships.

Stalking

Stalking: engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to: fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress.

Stalking is any repeated and unwanted contact with you that makes you feel unsafe. Stalking creates uncertainty, instills fear, and can completely disrupt lives.

Although you can be stalked by a stranger, most stalkers are someone you know — even an intimate partner. Stalking may also be a sign of an abusive relationship. Stalking may get worse or become violent over time.

Someone who is stalking you may threaten your safety by clearly saying they want to harm you. Stalking involves a pattern of overtly criminal and/or apparently innocent behavior that makes victims fear for themselves or others. Some stalkers harass you with less threatening but still unwanted contact.

The use of technology to stalk, sometimes called “cyberstalking,” involves using the Internet, email, or other electronic communications to harass or stalk another person. It is not the mere annoyance of unsolicited e-mail but rather methodical, deliberate, and persistent. The communications do not stop even after the sender has asked to cease all contact. The content of the communications is often filled with inappropriate and sometimes disturbing, content. Cyberstalking is an extension of the physical form of stalking.

Stalking is distinguishable from many other types of crime in two important ways. First, it entails repeat victimization of a person the offender targets—it is, by its very nature, a series of acts, rather than a single incident. Second, it is partly defined by its impact on the victim.

Examples of stalking include

Following you around or spying on you
Sending you unwanted emails or letters
Calling you often
Showing up uninvited at your house, school, or work
Leaving you unwanted gifts
Damaging your home, car, or other property
Threatening you, your family, or pets with violence

Stalking and cyberstalking can lead to sleeping problems or problems at work or school.

Hate Crimes

Hate Crimes: a criminal offense that manifests evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the perpetrator’s bias against the victim based on specified categories of bias. Hate crimes include the crimes listed as reportable Clery crimes along with the following:

Larceny/Theft: The unlawful taking, carrying, leading or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. Includes pocket picking, purse snatching, shoplifting, theft from buildings, theft of motor vehicles, theft of motor vehicle parts or accessories and all other larceny.
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.
Intimidation: To unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or other conduct but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack.
Destruction/Damage/Vandalism or Property (except Arson): 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 it.

Campus Security Authorities

While the College prefers that community members promptly report all crimes and other emergencies directly to the SGSC Police Department, we also recognize that some may prefer to report to other individuals or College offices. The Clery Act recognizes certain College officials and offices as “Campus Security Authorities [CSAs].” The Act defines these individuals as an “official of an institution 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 a person who has the authority and the duty to act or respond to particular issues on behalf of the institution.” CSAs are campus officials responsible for campus security or significant responsibility for student and campus activities. Besides College DPS employees, CSAs are defined by federal law as follows:

Any individual or individuals who have responsibility for campus security but who do not work for the campus police department, such as an individual who is responsible for monitoring entrance into college property;
Any individual or organization specified in the college’s statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which students and employees should report criminal offenses; or
An official who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline, and campus judicial proceedings.

The CSA should provide as much detail about the incident as possible to ensure appropriate response and accurate recording. It is particularly important for the police to know where the incident occurred (or is alleged to have occurred) and to have enough detail to classify the incident and to determine if a report has already been made. Additionally, a CSA must note when the crime or incident occurred and when it was reported. A crime reported to a CSA must be submitted to the College Police Department for inclusion in the College’s crime statistics.

CSAs are responsible for forwarding nonidentifying, basic information about the type of crime and the incident location to the SGSC Police Department. This information is used for issuing Timely Warnings and for inclusion in the Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports. The Clery Act encompasses several groups of individuals and organizations that are considered to be Campus Security Authorities.

Athletic Coaching Staff & Trainers
College Vice Presidents and President
Coordinator of Student Engagement
Division Directors and Deans
Faculty Advisors to Student Groups
Faculty in Residence
Police Personnel
Residence Life Specialist
Resident Advisors
Student Affairs Personnel
Title IX Coordinator
Tutorial Services Coordinator

Because personnel and job positions change, someone who is a CSA one year may not be a CSA the following year. Job functions must be considered when determining which individuals are CSAs. The Director of Human Resources and the CSA Identification Subcommittee conduct a quarterly review of the lists and functions of those individuals notated as CSAs.

Employees will be notified of their CSA status by the Office of Human Resources during the onboarding process. During this process, the CSA will complete the training requirements available in Georgia View. The purpose of the training is for CSAs to identify and adhere to Clery Act requirements; recognize and fulfill their responsibilities as a campus security authority; properly engage with reporting parties to report all Clery crimes; and be able to locate relevant campus resources, such as reporting.

Clery Compliance Committee

The South Georgia State College’s Clery Compliance Committee coordinates with Public Safety, Student Conduct, and Title IX, as well as other campus groups, to provide leadership and ensure full compliance in the areas of reporting, policy and procedure development, and implementation annually updating the Campus Security Authorities (CSAs) list and providing educational programs.

The Committee facilitates coordinated communication of requirements, gathering and reporting information, supports training to mitigate compliance risks, nurtures a culture of reporting that increases campus safety; and ensures the College complies with the regulations and spirit of the Clery Act.

Members of the Clery Compliance Committee comprise a cross-functional team that are subject matter experts and are representatives from various units/departments:

Assistant Director of Human Resources
Associate VP for Student Success
Athletics Representative
Chief of Police / Emergency Management Director
Clery Compliance Coordinator
Dean of Students and Housing for Student Success
Director of Facilities
Director of the Waycross Campus
Faculty Senate Representative
Registrar
Residence Life Specialist for Student Success
Student Engagement Coordinator
Title IX Coordinator

Subcommittees

The Clery Compliance Committee accomplishes much of its work through subcommittees because institutions gain from cross-campus, multi-disciplinary groups that gather and assess data. The Clery Compliance Coordinator works with the Chief of Police to appoint members of such subcommittees. Should it be needed, other campus community members may be appointed to subcommittees. Standing or special subcommittees are established as the Committee determines necessary. Each Subcommittee chair summarizes prior meetings before the Clery Compliance Committee.

Clery Stats Subcommittee

The Clery Stats Subcommittee conducts a collaborative review of alleged criminal incidents to ensure complete and accurate identification and appropriate classification of Clery-reportable crimes, arrests, and disciplinary referrals. The Clery Stats Subcommittee meets at least quarterly to review alleged criminal activity and disciplinary incidents to:

Compile all relevant SGSC Police Department Clery data for the annual publication, quarterly reports for submission to the University System of Georgia, and annual reports of crime and fire safety statistics.
Ensure the updating and posting of the Daily Crime/Fire Logs.
Ensure accurate and appropriate identification and classification of Clery-reportable crimes, arrests, and disciplinary referrals.

Members of the Clery Stats Subcommittee:

Chief of Police (Chair)
Associate VP for Student Success
Dean of Students and Housing for Student Success
Police Department Representatives

Campus Security Authority (CSA) Designation Subcommittee

The CSA Designation Subcommittee meets twice each semester to review the list of employees that are newly employed, no longer employed, and those with changes in job duties and responsibilities to determine whether an employee should be classified as a Campus Security Authority according to Clery guidelines. The Chair notifies new employees of the required CSA training. The CSA Master list is updated to ensure that CSA training is provided as required.

The CSA Designation Subcommittee is comprised of the following members:

Assistant Director of Human Resources (Chair)
Residence Life Specialist for Student Success
Student Engagement Coordinator
Athletic Representative

Policies and Procedures Subcommittee

The Policies and Procedures Subcommittee meets annually to review Clery-related policies and recommend amendments or additional policies, as necessary.

Members of the policies and procedures subcommittee include:

Chief of Police and Clery Compliance Coordinator (Co-Chairs)
Director of the Waycross Campus
Dean of Students and Housing for Student Success
Registrar

Alcohol and Other Drugs Compliance Subcommittee

The Compliance Subcommittee meets annually to ensure compliance with the Clery Act and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA) mandates. Reviews must be completed before June 30 each year. The DFSCA mandates reviewing alcohol and drug programs and policies to assess the programs' efficacy and the enforcement's consistency and identify and implement changes as needed. The ASFSR includes a wide range of policy declarations and necessitates collaboration to ensure the completeness and accuracy of all policy statements or other information.

Members of the compliance subcommittee include:

Associate VP for Student Success (Chair)
Athletics Representative
Dean of Students and Housing for Student Success
Director of Facilities
Director of Human Resources
Director of the Waycross Campus
Registrar

Programming Subcommittee

Each quarter, the Programming Subcommittee convenes to create an events calendar for each division represented. Events include primary prevention and awareness programs and activities intended to educate on dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, bystander intervention techniques, and reduction of drug and alcohol use among students.

The following representatives comprise the Programming Subcommittee:

Student Engagement Coordinator (Chair)
Assistant Director of Human Resources
Associate VP for Student Success
Athletics representative
Coordinator of Residence Life and Housing
Dean of Students and Housing for Student Success
Police Department Representatives
Residence Life Specialist for Student Success
Student Activity Coordinator for the Waycross Campus (ad hoc member)
Library Representatives (ad hoc members)