History of the Clery Act
In April 1986, Jeanne Clery’s life ended tragically when another student raped and murdered her in her residence hall room. Alarmed at the lack of transparency around crime and violence on college campuses, Jeanne’s parents, Connie and Howard, committed themselves to create enduring change. In 1990, Congress approved the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act. Later renamed in Jeanne’s memory, the Jeanne Clery Act took effect in 1991. It requires that colleges and universities:
- keep a public crime and fire log
- Lafayette’s crime/fire log for the most recent 60-day period is available and open to public inspection, free of charge, upon request, during normal business hours at Public Safety Dispatch located at 901 Bushkill Drive Easton Pa. The daily crime log contains a record of all criminal incidents and alleged criminal incidents that are reported to the campus police. The fire log contains a record of any fire that occurs in an on-campus student housing facility.
- publish an annual security report that includes crime statistics and security policies
- provide timely warnings and emergency notifications to inform the campus community of potential threats
- ensure certain basic rights for victims of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking
The U.S. Department of Education enforces the Clery Act, and is responsible for collecting and disseminating crime statistics from colleges and universities each year.