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SDSU places a high priority on the safety of our campus population and the community surrounding campus.  The Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act provides specific requirements for issuing Timely Warnings when particular crimes occur.  Often times these requirements do not apply to crimes that occur off campus, but are in close proximity to campus.

SDSU has committed to taking the additional steps of notifying our community members of significant crimes that do not occur on campus, but may still pose a safety concern to students, faculty, staff and community members who live close to campus. 

The Community Safety Notification was developed as an alternative means of notifying the community of these types of occurrences.  The format is different than a Clery Timely Warning and is not issued by the University Police.

 

There are a number of people involved in deciding when a Community Safety Notification needs to be sent out.  Generally, the Chief of Police, Chief Communications Officer, AVP of Business Administration and Clery Director are involved in this process.  

The overall goal is to ensure that the decision is not made in a vacuum and that all available information is taken into consideration.

 

Factors that are typically considered include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Severity of the crime.
  • Proximity to campus and student housing facilities.
  • Whether it was a crime against a person or property.
  • Whether there were any injuries.
  • Pattern of similar crimes.
  • If the suspect(s) are known or unknown.
  • Campus affiliation of the victim(s).
  • Possible impacts to ongoing investigations.

 

Generally, the Community Safety Notification process starts when the University Police are notified of a significant crime.  The on-duty watch commander makes an initial determination to send out a notification, based on the location of the incident.  They will draft the notification which is then reviewed by the police lieutenant or captain, which is then reviewed by the Chief of Police.  The Chief notifies other university administrators, as appropriate, and the notification is sent out through campus communication channels (email, text message, social media).

Because these crimes do not fall within the Clery requirements, Community Safety Notifications are not sent out by University Police and have a different format than Timely Warnings.

SDSU offers a variety of safety-related informational and training programs.  Some programs are available on a regular basis and others can be requested.  All programs are available to students, faculty and staff members, and include the following:

  • Safety awareness training.
  • Multi-option active shooter response training.
  • Rape and sexual assault prevention training.
  • See Something, Say Something campaign.
  • Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessments.
  • Red & Black shuttle.
  • Library shuttle.
  • Bystander intervention training
  • "Let's Talk" rape and sexual assault program.

The following are general safety tips that we encourage our community members to use:

  • Be aware of your surroundings regardless of location or time of day.
  • Immediately report suspicious activity to University Police.
  • Attend safety programs offered on campus.
  • Use campus Blue Light phones to request an escort or report suspicious activity.
  • Use lighted walkways and pathways at night.

The following additional links are intended to provide additional information related to the Clery Act: