Report: Campus Crime Reporting Falls Short
PHILADELPHIA
Many universities don’t fully meet the requirements of a 1990 federal law that mandates reporting campus crime, which can create a perception that the schools are safer than they really are, according to a published report.
The Clery Act — named after Lehigh University student Jeanne Ann Clery, who was murdered in her dorm room in 1986 — requires colleges and universities to count and annually report crimes that happen on or near campus such as murder, aggravated assault and robbery.
However, a Justice Department study released last month said that “only about a third do so in a way fully consistent with federal laws.”
One of the schools that had underreported crimes was West Chester University in suburban Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported .
The paper examined campus police logs and found that a single sexual assault reported by West Chester for all of 2003 and 2004 rose to 14 attacks, including 10 in residence halls. Burglaries in those years increased from two to 45 at the 12,800-student university.
