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Clery Act Compliance

Northern Illinois University must comply with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, a federal law commonly referred to as the Clery Act. Some of the requirements of this law include the following:

  • Collect, classify, and count campus crime statistics related to certain crimes.
  • Prepare, publish and distribute an annual security report containing campus security policies and campus crime statistics.
  • Submit campus crime statistics to the U.S. Department of Education annually.
  • Maintain a daily crime log of alleged crimes occurring within NIU's Clery geography that were reported to campus police.
  • Issue timely warnings and emergency notifications.

For questions related to Clery Act compliance please contact the director of Clery Compliance at clerycompliance@niu.edu.

Annual Reports

NIU's Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is published in compliance with the Clery Act, the State of Illinois Campus Security Enhancement Act, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report includes campus policies related to safety and security, alcohol and drugs, sexual misconduct, crime prevention and the reporting of crimes. It also includes campus crime statistics for the previous three calendar years for crimes that occurred on campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by NIU; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from university property.

The report also provides fire safety information specific to on-campus student housing facilities and includes campus fire safety practices and standards, including fire statistics for the previous three calendar years.

To request a paper copy of the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, please email the director of Clery Compliance at clerycompliance@niu.edu.

Campus Security Authorities

Campus Security Authority (CSA) is a designation under the Clery Act. CSAs are required to report in a timely manner suspected or actual Clery crimes they witness or become aware of that occurred on or within the university's Clery geography, regardless of whether the alleged victim or alleged suspect is associated with the university.

At NIU, CSAs include but are not limited to campus police, campus security, and individuals with significant responsibility for student and campus activities (such as housing staff, athletics staff and student organization advisors).

CSAs are required to complete Clery CSA training on an annual basis to ensure they understand their reporting obligations. If you need to complete Campus Security Authority training or would like to request a training for your group, please email clerycompliance@niu.edu.

Reporting Instructions

If the reported crime or incident involves an emergency, the CSA must immediately call 911. Otherwise, CSAs must report a Clery crime that occurs within Clery geography by one of the following means:

  • Calling the non-emergency phone number for the NIU Department of Police and Public Safety (815-753-1212) or the local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction.
  • Going in person to the NIU Department of Police and Public Safety located at 395 Wirtz Drive, DeKalb, Illinois, or the local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction.
  • Online reporting:
    1. For sexual offenses, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking
    2. For all other Clery crimes

The report must be made in a timely manner. It is not the responsibility of the CSA to investigate the crime or determine if a crime occurred. A CSA should not go out of their way to learn additional information about a reported crime.

For additional information, please refer to the Clery Compliance Policy.

Clery Crimes

There are four categories of crimes that must be reported and disclosed if they occurred on or within the university's Clery geography. Each category of crimes has specific crimes within it.

Primary Crimes

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter: The willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another.

Manslaughter by negligence: The killing of another person through gross negligence.

Sex offenses: Any sexual act directed against another person, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent. Sex offenses include rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape.

  • Rape: The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.
  • Fondling: The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of their age or because of their temporary or permanent mental incapacity.
  • Incest: Sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.
  • Statutory rape: Sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.

Robbery: The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.

Aggravated assault: An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. (It is not necessary that injury result from an aggravated assault when a gun, knife or other weapon is used which could and probably would result in a serious personal injury if the crime were successfully completed.)

Burglary: The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. For reporting purposes this definition includes: unlawful entry with intent to commit a larceny or a felony; breaking and entering with intent to commit a larceny; housebreaking; safecracking; and all attempts to commit any of the aforementioned.

Motor vehicle theft: The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. (Classify as motor vehicle theft all cases where automobiles are taken by persons not having lawful access even though the vehicles are later abandoned - including joyriding.)

Arson: Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.

Violence Against Women Act Crimes

Dating violence: Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting party's statement and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. For the purposes of this definition, dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse. Dating violence does not include acts covered under the definition of domestic violence.

Domestic violence: A felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim; by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner; by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred; or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person's acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred.

Stalking: Engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to:

  • Fear for the person's safety or the safety of others; or
  • Suffer substantial emotional distress. For the purposes of this definition:
    • Course of conduct means two or more acts, including, but not limited to, acts in which the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about a person, or interferes with a person's property.
    • Reasonable person means a reasonable person under similar circumstances and with similar identities to the victim.
    • Substantial emotional distress means significant mental suffering or anguish that may, but does not necessarily, require medical or other professional treatment or counseling.

Hate Crimes

A crime that manifests evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the perpetrator's bias against the victim. The categories of bias include the victim's actual or perceived race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin and disability.

When reporting any of the crimes listed under primary crimes, or any of the crimes listed below, indicate if there is evidence that the crime was motivated by the offender's bias.

Larceny-theft (except motor vehicle theft): The unlawful taking, carrying, leading or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. Attempted larcenies are included. Embezzlement, confidence games, forgery, worthless checks, etc., are excluded.

Destruction/damage/vandalism of property: To willfully or maliciously destroy, damage, deface or otherwise injure real or personal property without the consent of the owner or the person having custody or control of it.

Intimidation: To unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack.

Simple assault: An unlawful physical attack by one person upon another where neither the offender displays a weapon, nor the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration or loss of consciousness.

Arrests and Referrals for Disciplinary Actions

Liquor law violations: The violation of State or local laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession or use of alcoholic beverages, not including driving under the influence and drunkenness.

Drug abuse violations: The violation of laws prohibiting the production, distribution and/or use of certain controlled substances and the equipment or devices utilized in their preparation and/or use. The unlawful cultivation, manufacture, distribution, sale, purchase, use, possession, transportation or importation of any controlled drug or narcotic substance. Arrests for violations of state and local laws, specifically those relating to the unlawful possession, sale, use, growing, manufacturing and making of narcotic drugs.

Illegal weapons possession: The violation of laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession, concealment or use of firearms, cutting instruments, explosives, incendiary devices or other deadly weapons.

Student Trip Information

This form is to be completed for certain student trips so the university may comply with the Clery Act. Please read the below guidelines to determine if a trip must be registered:

  • Study abroad programs and trips: If the university/department rents or leases space for students in a hotel, student housing facility, or other lodging facilities, you must submit this form.
  • Overnight trips: If the university/department rents or leases space for a student in a hotel, student housing facility, or other lodging facilities, even if only for one night, you must submit this form.
  • Host families: If a student is staying with a host family, and there is no written agreement between the university/department and the host family, you do not need to register the trip. However, if there is a written agreement between the university/department and the host family, you must register the trip.
  • Field trips: A daytime trip to a location off campus does not need to be registered.
  • Intercollegiate athletics trips: Information related to intercollegiate athletics trips does not need to be registered via this form, as it is collected on an annual basis.

If students are staying at different locations throughout a trip, a separate form must be completed for each location.

Student Trip Registration Form

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