The term Campus Security Authority, or CSA, “is a Clery-specific term that encompasses four groups of individuals and organizations associated with an institution.”
- A campus police department or a campus security department of an institution.
- Any individual or individuals who have responsibility for campus security but who do not constitute a campus police department or a campus security department (e.g., an individual who is responsible for monitoring the entrance into institutional property).
- Any individual or organization specified in an institution’s statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which students and employees should report criminal offenses.
- An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline and campus judicial proceedings. An official is defined as any person who has the authority and the duty to take action or respond to particular issues on behalf of the institution.
The function of a CSA is to report allegations of Clery Act crimes that they conclude were made in good faith (meaning that there is a reasonable basis for believing that the information is not rumor or hearsay) to the Clery Director or University Police. CSAs are not responsible for determining authoritatively whether a crime took place and should not try to apprehend the alleged perpetrator.
Clery Act crimes include:
Criminal Offenses that we are required to disclose are Criminal Homicide including Murder/Non-negligent Manslaughter and Manslaughter by Negligence; Sexual Assault including Rape, Fondling, Incest, and Statutory Rape; Robbery; Aggravated Assault; Burglary; Motor Vehicle Theft; and Arson.
VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) Offenses that we are required to disclose are Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking.
Arrests and Referrals for Disciplinary Action that we are required to disclose are liquor law violations, drug law violations, and/or illegal weapon possession.
Hate Crimes that we are required to disclose include the above-listed crimes as well as Arson, Larceny-Theft, Simple Assault, Intimidation, and Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property that were motivated by bias. Bias categories include race, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, or disability.
CSUN discloses statistics for offenses that occur on campus, in on-campus residential facilities, in or on non-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by our institution, and on public property within or immediately adjacent to our campus. If you are unsure of the location of a crime reported to you or are unsure of whether or not the location falls within our Clery geography, please still report this crime to us. It is our job to determine whether or not the information you share meets the requirements of being considered a Clery statistic and then classifying it as such.
If a CSA is in doubt as to whether a crime is reportable, please err on the side of reporting the matter.
Reports can be made by anyone to include students, faculty, staff, otherwise affiliated, local community members, visitors, and otherwise non-affiliated.
So you’re a CSA … What do you have to do?
If someone tells you about a crime, you must report when it allegedly occurred and when it was reported to you.
Ways of Reporting:
- Immediately call 911 if you see or experience an incident or know about a crime in progress.
- Immediately call CSUN Police Dispatch at 818-677-2111 if an individual reports a crime to you.
- Fill out the CSA Reporting Form online at: https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/clery-incident-report-form.pdf
Location, Location, Location
A crime must be reported if it occurred
- On-campus or on University property
- In on-campus student residences
- On public property adjacent to the University campus
- On certain off-campus property.*
*Some off-campus locations are deemed so closely related to the University that crimes occurring there are included in campus crime statistics. Examples: Crimes occurring at student organization properties and at University owned or controlled facilities
The Clery Act is an amendment to the Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act. In 1986, Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered in her residence hall room at Lehigh University. Jeanne’s parents later discovered that incidents of personal violence had been disclosed to campus administrators but were never reported to law enforcement. The law enacted in her memory is intended to ensure that students/employees and families are properly informed about campus crimes.
Under the Clery Act, CSUN Police must:
make the Clery Crime Log for the most recent 60-day period open to the public during normal business hours. The log lists the types of reported crime, location, date and disposition. The Clery crime Log can be accessed at the CSUN Police Station. YOU must be prepared to tell people where the log can be found.
Daily Crime Log
The Clery Act does not consider the positions noted below to be Campus Security Authorities. However, University policy indicates that these employees should make reports in accordance with the CSU Mandated Reporter Policy.
- Administrative staff not responsible for student activities (e.g., payroll, facilities)
- Individual faculty who do NOT serve as an advisor to a recognized student organization
- Campus physicians or nurses whose only responsibility is to provide care to students
- Licensed professional or pastoral counselors acting in the aforementioned role.
You must advise individuals of the following:
- “As part of my position on campus, I am a Campus Security Authority for the University. I am required to report details of the incident to the Clery Director to promote accurate disclosure of campus crime statistics. If you request confidentiality, the report will not include your name, the names of others involved, and any details that could identify you or others will not be included in the report. My report will only contain the information you provide.”
- Do not attempt to investigate before reporting the incident to CSUN Police or the Clery Director.
- If the person will NOT agree to talk with CSUN Police, explain that you MUST report the incident as an anonymous statistic. Identifying information about the person making the report, can generally be withheld, if requested. However, it is critical that you do not promise complete confidentiality when discussing an anonymous report.
Intervention and Assistance
It is very important to ensure individuals making reports that CSUN cares about them and that we have many support services available on campus and in the university area. Please direct them to or assist them in contacting advocacy services.
KLOTZ Student Health Center - 818-677-3666
Care Advocates - 818-677-7492
University Counseling Srvs - 818-677-2366
after hours urgent care
Strength United 24/7 Hotline - 818-886-0453
Crisis Text line 24/7 - text Start to 741741
Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network - 800-656-HOPE(4673)
Suicide Prevention Hotline - 800-273- TALK (8255)
Non-Confidential Resources
CSUN Police Department:
Emergency (TEXT or call) - 911
Non-emergency - 818-677-2111
We Tip Hotline - 818-677-TIPS (8477)