Bergen Community College

What is a Campus Security Authority (CSA)?

Campus Security Authority (CSA) is a Clery Act-specific term that encompasses four groups of individuals and organizations associated with an IHE, which includes the following:

• Campus police department or campus security department personnel of the IHE. All individuals who work for either department are CSAs. This includes the following for BCC:
  • All BCC Public Safety Department personnel and
  • Personnel from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office (located on the Paramus campus)
• Any individual(s) who have responsibility for campus security but who do not constitute a campus police department or a campus security department. This includes individuals who are responsible for monitoring entrance into the College property, provide security at a campus parking kiosk, monitor access into a campus facility, act as event security such as for sporting events, or escort students around campus after dark (including other students). This includes the following:
  • Individuals responsible for monitoring or controlling entrance to campus property.
  • Personnel who routinely monitor entrances to buildings and secured areas
  • Building Managers
• Any individual or organization specified in an IHE’s statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which students and employees should report criminal offenses. This includes anyone or any organization that the College directs the College community to report Clery crime incidents to, in addition to police or security-related personnel. This includes the following:
  • President’s Office and staff
  • Title IX Coordinator, Deputy Coordinators, and Investigators
  • Student Affairs Director, and Administrators
• Any official of an IHE who has significant responsibility for and oversee student and campus activities, including, but not limited to student discipline, campus judicial proceedings, and student extracurricular activities. An official is defined as any person who has the authority and the duty to act or respond to specific issues on behalf of the IHE. This is a large group which includes the following:
  • Academic Deans
  • Department Heads/Chairs/Directors
  • Academic Counselors, Academic Advisors, and Club Advisors
  • Athletic Director, Coordinator of Athletics, Athletic Coaches, Athletic Trainers, Athletic Staff
  • Wellness Center Staff, Office of Health Services
  • Director of Student Life, Student Conduct Staff including Coordinator of Student Conduct and Development, Coordinator of Student Life, Student Life Secretary, and Student Life Office Assistants.

  Note – Faculty who have classroom instruction responsibilities only, professional counselors acting in their role as counselors, and clerical/cafeteria/facilities staff are not deemed to be CSAs.

The following should also be noted about CSAs and the reporting of Clery crime incidents:

• Although the campus community should report criminal incidents to Public Safety or law enforcement, this does not always happen. A student who is the victim of a crime may report it to someone other than the campus police or Public Safety. For this reason, the Clery Act requires all IHEs to collect crime reports from a variety of individuals and organizations that are
  considered CSAs under the law.
  Under the Clery Act, a crime is “reported” when it is brought to the attention of a CSA, the IHE’s police department or Public Safety Office, or local law enforcement personnel by a victim, witness, or other third party. It does not matter if the individual(s) involved in the crime, or reporting the crime, are associated with the IHE. If a CSA has been informed of an actual or potential Clery crime, he/she must report the incident.
• A crime is reported by a CSA and included in the IHE’s crime statistics, when the incident is one of the Clery Act defined crimes (Clery crime) and occurs within one of the Clery Act defined geographies/locations (Clery geography). When both criteria are met, this is known as a Clery reportable crime.
• When in doubt if an incident is a Clery crime or if it occurred within Clery geography, CSAs should err on the safe side and report the incident.
• CSAs should report the facts about an incident as known and not based on hearsay, rumor, or intentionally misleading facts or omissions. The incident should be reported in good faith even if it turns out not to be a Clery reportable crime.
• The Clery Act prohibits and protects those who report crimes from retaliation.

Crime incidents reported by CSAs may result in or be included in ASR crime statistics, the issuance of Timely Warnings, and incidents reported in the Daily Crime Log, which are the responsibility of Public Safety.

IF YOU ARE A CSA AND MUST REPORT A CRIME OR INCIDENT, PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE CSA REPORTING FORM.

If an incident requires an immediate Public Safety Department and/or Law Enforcement response, (e.g., crime in progress, emergency, or on-going threat to the BCC community) dial 911 or call the BCC Public Safety Department (see below numbers for each BCC campus).

For any questions regarding CSA, or for further training please email Associate Director of Public Safety Marie Jardine at [email protected] or call 201-612-5489.