NCJ Number
188102
Journal
Trends and Issues Update Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: August 2000 Pages: 1-4
Date Published
August 2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Since 1992, a series of Federal laws have been enacted to ensure that students and employees of colleges and universities are aware of crimes committed on campus, as well as policies and procedures in place to report and prevent campus crimes; this report assesses the extent to which colleges and universities are complying with these Federal mandates, with attention to Illinois.
Abstract
In 1998, less than 5 percent of 8,000 post-secondary institutions who were participating in Federal student aid programs voluntarily provided crime statistics to the FBI. Other institutions reported data either indirectly or not at all to local or State police agencies. As a result, campus crime statistics were difficult to collate and examine. The Illinois State Police Uniform Crime Reporting program has compiled some of the most comprehensive data on campus crime to date. Illinois colleges and universities that have a police, security, or public safety department are required to report their crime statistics to the Illinois State Police. In 1999, 44 colleges and universities, representing 69 percent of the Illinois student population, reported their crime statistics to the Illinois State Police; 12 of those schools reported their numbers through other agencies. Since 1994, the number of reported incidents on campuses throughout the State have declined nearly 38 percent, and property Index offenses decreased 35 percent. Until recently, the U.S. Department of Education had not enforced the Federal Campus Security Act, so there was no central repository for campus crime statistics. The Department of Education began collecting campus crime data nationally in August 2000. 2 tables