The Campus Security Act

Campus Security Act Defined

The Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Acts required colleges and universities receiving federal funds to notify community members as to who is considered a "campus security authority." The U.S. Department of Education defines a campus security authority as:

  1. a campus law enforcement unit, or
  2. an individual or organization specified in an institution's statement of campus security policy as the individual or organization that has significant counseling responsibilities.

For the purposes of meeting the requirements set forth in the act, the campus security authority at Whittier College includes all persons who are employed by the College. Campus Safety authorities are required to report criminal occurrences to the campus law enforcement unit (Department of Campus Safety) under the annual reporting and timely warning requirements of the Act. It shall be the responsibility of the Department of Campus Safety to investigate reports of criminal activity on campus.

Report to the Community

It is an unfortunate fact that criminal incidents of all types occur on college campuses. Most colleges around the country investigate and make public the nature and frequency of crimes. Whittier College follows this practice and believes that reporting this information to the public increases community awareness about taking steps to prevent criminal activity. Records of Campus Crime Statistics for the past few years are available for review online or in print at Campus Safety headquarters.

Reported Crimes

The following list of crimes are required to be reported by the Campus Security Act of 1990, as amended by the U.S. Dept. of Education in 1994. Frequently, when a crime occurs and a suspect is apprehended, the matter may be referred for administrative adjudication by Student Affairs or Human Resources. Thus, the ratio of offenses to arrests may be misleading.

  • Murder
  • Forcible Rape
  • Statutory Rape
  • Forcible Sodomy
  • Incest
  • Sexual Assault with an Object
  • Aggravated Assault
  • Weapon Violation
  • Grand Theft Auto
  • Robbery
  • Theft
  • Burglary
  • Liquor Law Violation
  • Alcohol Intoxication (DUI)
  • Illegal Drugs Violation
  • Hate-Motivated Crimes*
  • Hate-Motivated Incidents*
  • Vandalism

*Criminal offenses that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity.

All of the crimes listed above must be reported annually to the U.S. Department of Education. Furthermore, statistics and daily crime logs of these crimes must be readily available to the public upon request. Campus Safety will immediately provide, upon request, a written log of crimes that have occurred on and around College property within at least 60 days of the request. Crimes having occurred past 60 days will be made available within 48 hours of the request.

Whittier College encourages victims of crimes to report incidents to the Department of Campus Safety regardless of how insignificant the crime may appear. To report a crime, a victim or witness should call 562.907.4211. College administrators receive reports about crime on a regular basis. Campus Safety officers will also assist victims whom want to report crimes to the Whittier Police Department.

The Department of Campus Safety has taken several steps to prevent crime, including instituting the following:

  • 24-hour campus patrols;
  • officers dispatched by radio;
  • on-campus safety escort service;
  • alarms in key areas; and
  • video surveillance.

Whittier College places a high priority on your personal safety. The information in this handbook is provided in order to assist the College in keeping its commitment to make Whittier College a safe and secure campus community.