Campus Security Authorities
The Providence College Office of Public Safety encourages all members of the campus community to report crimes to this office on a timely basis. This allows public safety leaders to determine if a Timely Warning Notice or Emergency Notification should be issued to alert the campus community of a dangerous situation. Additionally, such reports allow public safety to track crime trends and make statistical reports in accordance with the Clery Act*.
Certain non-law enforcement members of the campus community are designated as Campus Security Authorities (CSA) by virtue of their position or role on campus. CSAs are people who are likely to receive reports of criminal violations on campus. For example, an RA in a residence hall is considered a CSA. The intent of including non-law enforcement personnel in the CSA role is to acknowledge that some community members and students may be hesitant to report crimes to the police but may be more inclined to report incidents to other campus-affiliated individuals.
Click here to access the CSA Crime Reporting Form or scroll down to learn more about CSA responsibilities.
*For information on reportable Clery Act crimes, reportable disciplinary referrals or reportable Clery Act incident occurrence locations, please refer to our Annual Security and Fire Safety Report website.
What Makes You a CSA?
The law defines the following categories of CSAs:
- Office of Public Safety security personnel and department administrators.
- Third party security officers utilized by the college to aid with campus security. These CSAs have a security presence or access control authority in certain residence halls, at athletic events, or serve as added security staff at student functions.
- Student ID checkers having access management throughout campus (e.g., the Peterson Recreation Center).
- Officials with significant responsibility for student and campus activities. This category is defined broadly to ensure complete coverage and thorough reporting of crimes. To determine which individuals or organizations are CSAs, consider job functions that involve relationships with students. Look for Officials (i.e., not support staff) whose functions involve relationships with students.
- 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 University. If someone has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, s/he is a CSA. Some examples of CSAs in this category include, but are not limited to, deans, student affairs professionals, student housing staff, athletic director/assistant directors, coaches, student activities coordinators, student judicial officers and faculty/staff advisors to student organizations.
- 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.
Who Is Not a CSA?
- The following non-CSA positions and functions include, but are not limited to: administrative staff members who are not responsible for students, clerical staff, individual faculty with no student activity duties outside the classroom, medical staff at the Student Health Center or counselors in the Personal Counseling Center who provide care to individual students.
CSA Crime Reporting
When a crime is reported to a CSA, the CSA must ask the person if they would like to report the incident to the Office of Public Safety. If so, the reporting party can contact the Office of Public Safety at 401-865-2391 to report the incident. If the CSA has firsthand knowledge and confirmation that the reporting party filed a report with Public Safety, then they are not obligated to complete and submit a Campus Security Authority Crime Reporting Form. However, if the reporting party says they will file a report with the Office of Public Safety, leaving the CSA with no firsthand knowledge and confirmation that a police report was filed, then the CSA must still complete and submit a CSA Crime Reporting Form.
CSAs are encouraged to report all crimes reported to them on a timely basis to Public Safety. However, under the Clery Act, only Clery Act qualifying crimes are required to be reported to the Clery Compliance Coordinator via the CSA Crime Reporting Form.
CSAs are not required to determine the validity of any complaint. They are simply required to report all allegations received while acting in their capacity as a CSA. The CSA should gather incident information sufficient to properly classify the incident. CSAs should not investigate the crime or attempt to determine whether a crime, in fact, took place. When in doubt, a Campus Safety Authority Crime Reporting Form should be completed and submitted.
What Do I Tell a Reporting Party?
The following is a sample of what you can tell a reporting party who comes to you to report a crime:
“As part of my position on campus I am a federally mandated crime reporter for the College. Would you like me to help you report this incident to the Office of Public Safety? If you do not want to report the incident, please know that I am required to report this incident to the Clery Compliance Coordinator for the purpose of statistical reporting. My report will contain only the information you have provided. Do you have any questions? Would you like to help me fill it out?”
What is Done with CSA Reports?
The Providence College Clery Compliance Coordinator reviews CSA Crime Reports and determines whether it is a reportable crime in accordance with the Clery Act. These reports are also evaluated by College Safety officials for timely warning and emergency notification consideration. In certain situations, it may be necessary to notify the campus community of certain criminal activity or threats.
The data from CSA Crime Reports as well as data from other college sources are consolidated and reported annually to the US Department of Education and published in the College’s Annual Security and Fire Report. It should be noted that no personally identifiable information that may have been included in a CSA Report is included in statistical reports.
Crime/Emergency and Non-Emergency Reporting
Regardless of your status (CSA or non-CSA), all community members are encouraged to promptly report all criminal incidents and other College Safety related emergencies to The Office of Public Safety.
For incidents requiring immediate attention, dial 911 or use any Emergency Phone located throughout the campus. Non-emergency incidents can be reported by dialing 401-865-2391 from any phone or in person on campus at the Providence College Office of Public Safety.
