NCJ Number
190459
Journal
Campus Law Enforcement Journal Volume: 31 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2001 Pages: 23-26
Date Published
July 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the implications of campus police not reporting simple assault crime data.
Abstract
The Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 requires that institutions of higher learning publish an annual report on campus crime. However, the extent to which crime statistics are useful in understanding campus crime may be limited by the fact that schools are not required to report certain types of crimes. Of particular concern is simple assault, i.e., assault without a weapon, resulting in minor injury. While legislative additions to the Act have increased the categories of crimes that must be reported, the crime of simple assault has gone virtually unreported by campus police. The article discusses the implications of not reporting simple assault crime, based on data obtained between January and March 1999 at a small midwestern 4-year institution with 6,065 students. Data were collected from police reports and self-administered student surveys. The article claims that perhaps the most important reason to report simple assault crime is that behavior associated with this offense often escalates into more serious violent offending. In addition, these data may be indicators of more severe violent crime that is not being reported. The article suggests the need for more research into the relationship between simple assault and violence on college campuses. Such research would provide valuable insight into and more accurate information about campus crime. Tables, references