Originally known as the Campus Security Act, the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (20 USC § 1092(f)) is the landmark federal law that requires colleges and universities across the United States to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. The law is tied to an institution’s participation in federal student financial aid programs and it applies to most institutions of higher education both public and private. The Clery Act is enforced by the United States Department of Education.
The law was amended in 1992 to add a requirement that schools afford the victims of campus sexual assault certain basic rights, and was amended again in 1998 to expand the reporting requirements. The 1998 amendments also formally named the law in memory of Jeanne Clery. Subsequent amendments in 2000 and 2008 added provisions dealing with registered sex offender notification and campus emergency response. The 2008 amendments also added a provision to protect crime victims, “whistleblowers”, and others from retaliation.
The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to:
- Publish an Annual Security Report (ASR) by October 1
- Have a public crime log
- Disclose crime statistics for incidents that occur within defined geography
- Report on crimes in seven major categories
- Issue timely warnings about Clery Act crimes
- Devise an emergency response, notification and testing policy.
- Compile and publish an annual fire safety report
- Enact policies and procedures to handle reports of missing students