Roles and Responsibilities

What is a Campus Security Authority? They are officials whose functions involve building relationships with students. An official of an institution is someone that has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline and campus judicial proceedings. “Official” is defined as any person who has the authority and duty to take action and respond to particular issues on behalf of the institution.

A CSA’s primary responsibility is to report allegations of Clery Act crimes they receive to the reporting structure established by Lindenwood University.

Clery Act Crimes Include

• Murder/Non-negligent Manslaughter
• Negligent Manslaughter
• Sex Offenses (rape, fondling, statutory rape and incest)
• Robbery
• Aggravated Assault
• Motor Vehicle Theft
• Arson
• Domestic Violence
• Dating Violence
• Stalking

If a Campus Security Authority receives a report of a crime, he or she must include it as a crime report using reporting procedures specified by the university.

Remember: CSA’s are responsible for reporting allegations of Clery Act crimes that are reported to them in their capacity as a CSA. This does not include reporting instances where:

• You overhear students talking about it in a hallway conversation.
• Classmate or student mentions it during an in-class discussion.
• A victim mentions it during a speech, workshop, or any group presentation.
• That a CSA otherwise learns about in an indirect manner.

CSA’s must immediately report crimes so these reports may be assessed for potential Timely Warning Notices if necessary. You do not want to wait a few days to submit the information as the University loses the opportunity to react in a timely manner and respond accordingly.

In most cases it is possible for a CSA to fulfill his or her responsibility while still maintaining victim confidentiality. CSA reports are used by the institution to compile statistics for Clery Act reporting and to help determine if there is a serious or continuing threat to the safety of the campus community that would require and alert. A CSA report does not need to automatically result in the initiation of a police or disciplinary investigation if the victim does not want to pursue this action.

Even at institutions with a Police or Security department on campus, a student who is a victim of a crime may be more inclined to report it to someone other than the campus police or security.

If you have any questions concerning your roles and responsibilities as a Campus Security Authority, please reach out to Jose Obando, Coordinator Clery Compliance and Training at jobando@lindenwood.edu