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Public Safety Policy

Public Safety Policy

Purpose

The Department of Public Safety is the law enforcement agency responsible for the enforcement of laws and university regulations on University of Dayton property and public and private properties within the defined Mutual Aid Area.  This policy complies with the required policy statements set forth in the Clery Appendix to the Federal Student Aid handbook.

Scope

Faculty, staff, and students.

Policy History

Effective Date:  December 17, 2015

Approval:  February 15, 2024

Policy History:

  • Approved in its original form:  December 17, 2015
  • Approved as amended:  February 15, 2024

Maintenance of Policy: Director, Clery Compliance & Records Coordinator, Department of Public Safety

Policy

The Department of Public Safety operates under the authority granted by the University of Dayton Board of Trustees and in accordance with Ohio Revised Code section 1713.50.  Sworn personnel are commissioned as police officers (with arrest authority) in the State of Ohio and must meet or exceed the basic training requirements of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission.  Police officers have jurisdictional authority on property owned or controlled by the University of Dayton and on public and private properties within campus boundaries, defined in the Mutual Aid Agreement with the City of Dayton Police Department and have the same legal authority as any other police officer in Ohio.  Police officers will maintain a 24-hour patrol of the campus every day.  Additional staff members who do not have arrest authority work in Communications, Parking Services, and other support positions in the department.

The Department of Public Safety is charged with enforcement of university regulations, as well as state and federal laws.  The department works closely with and forwards citations for violations of these regulations to the Office of Community Standards and Civility (within Student Development) for resolution.

The Department of Public Safety maintains a close working relationship with the City of Dayton Police Department, the City of Oakwood Department of Public Safety, and other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.  This includes a Mutual Aid Agreement with the City of Dayton Police Department and the City of Oakwood Department of Public Safety.  Additionally, the Department of Public Safety maintains written memoranda of understanding between the University and the City of Dayton Police Department, the City of Oakwood Department of Public Safety, the City of Kettering and the City of Moraine Police Department regarding the working relationships between the departments in their shared areas.

The Department of Public Safety cooperates and assists with investigations involving university community members that are brought to its attention by other agencies, including offenses that occur outside the university boundaries.

The University does not have officially recognized student organizations that own or control housing facilities outside the core campus.  Therefore, a local police department is not used to monitor and record criminal activity because there are no non-campus locations of student organizations. 

 

Reference Documents

  1. Clery Appendix to the Federal Student Aid Handbook
  2. Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 1713.50
  3. University of Dayton Code of Conduct
  4. Appendix A: Reporting Crimes and Other Emergencies
  5. Appendix B: Drug Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA)

Appendix A - Reporting Crimes and Other Emergencies

 

Members of the University of Dayton community (i.e., students, faculty, staff, contractors and visitors) are encouraged to promptly and accurately report all crimes and public safety-related incidents to the Department of Public Safety dispatcher at 937-229-2121 or in the case of an emergency to 911 using a campus phone, including when victims elect to make such reports or are unable to make reports on their own.  The use of cellular telephones to call 911 will connect the caller to the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center.

To maximize campus safety, the University strongly encourages anyone with knowledge of any crime (whether as a witness or as a victim) to make an immediate report to the Department of Public Safety in person or by the above telephone methods.  Reporting does not mean legal action must be taken; however, it may help law enforcement stop further incidents, keep the community informed, and provide those affected with resources.

Reports may be made in person 24 hours a day at the dispatch window located in the lobby of Fitz Hall.  A phone in the building’s entryway will allow community members to connect to the dispatcher for access to the lobby in the event they arrive after Fitz Hall’s operating hours.

Response to a Report

Dispatchers are available at the above telephone numbers 24 hours a day to answer your calls. In response to a call, the Department of Public Safety will take the required action, either dispatching an officer or asking the victim to report to Fitz Hall to file an incident report.  All reported crimes will be investigated by the University and may become a matter of public record.  Public Safety incident reports and student judicial reports are reviewed and forwarded to the Dean of Students Office and the Office of Community Standards and Civility for further review and potential action, as appropriate.  Public Safety Investigators will investigate a report when it is deemed appropriate.  Additional information obtained via the investigation will also be forwarded to the Office of Community Standards and Civility.  In addition to dispatching officers, the department’s communication center dispatches medical and fire response.  The communication center’s protocol is to dispatch a University police officer to be on scene when medical or fire response is required.  If assistance is required from the City of Dayton Police Department or City of Dayton Fire Department, the Department of Public Safety will contact the appropriate unit. If a sexual assault or rape should occur, staff on the scene, including those from Public Safety, will offer the victim a wide variety of services, and notify Equity Compliance.

Reporting to Meet Disclosure Requirements

Members of the community are helpful when they immediately report crimes or emergencies to the University of Dayton Department of Public Safety and/or the following offices for purposes of including them in the annual statistical disclosure and assessing them for issuing a Timely Warning Notices, when deemed necessary:

  • Director, Clery Compliance and Records Coordinator
  • Associate Vice President & Dean of Students
  • Executive Director for Equity Compliance Title IX/Section 504 Coordinator

Information on where to report crimes or obtain services is also published in University rules and regulations including the Standards of Behavior (found in the University’s Code of Conduct) and Policies and Procedures Handbook for professional and support staff employees.

Campus Security Authorities

Campus Security Authorities (CSA) are designated based on their roles in student life.  They are individuals most likely to have ongoing close contact with students and from whom students might seek advice in the event a crime is committed.

Some are designated CSA by default because of their positions within the University of Dayton.  These include but are not limited to police officers, athletic coaches, and Student Development Staff with significant student interaction like resident assistants.

Others are designated CSA because their role on campus creates a special relationship with students. A large majority of this type of CSA are advisers for student organizations as this role lends itself to the development of close relationships with organization members.  CSA are identified each academic year and offered training opportunities regarding the role and their responsibilities.

Voluntary Anonymous Reporting

If you are the victim of a crime and do not want to pursue action within the University system or the criminal justice system, you may still want to consider making a report to Public Safety.  With your permission, a University of Dayton police officer can file a report on the details of the incident without revealing your identity (except to the Title IX Coordinator in the event of a reported sex offense, sexual harassment or bias-related incident).  The purpose of this type of report is to comply with your wish to keep your identity private, while taking steps to enhance the future safety of yourself and others. With such information, the University can maintain an accurate record of the number of incidents involving students, employees and visitors; determine where there is a pattern of crime with regard to a particular location, method or assailant; and alert the campus community to potential danger. Reports filed in this manner are assessed for counting and disclosing in the annual crime statistics for the institution.

Campus pastoral counselors and professional counselors, when acting as such, are not considered CSA and are not required to report crimes for inclusion in the annual disclosure of crime statistics.  As a matter of policy and if they deem appropriate, pastoral and professional counselors are encouraged to inform persons being counseled of the procedures to report crimes on a voluntary basis for inclusion in the annual crime statistics.

For the purposes of CSA responsibilities, pastoral counselors and professional counselors are defined as:

             Pastoral counselor:  An employee of an institution who is associated with a religious order or denomination, recognized by that religious order or denomination as someone who provides confidential counseling and who is functioning within the scope of that recognition as a pastoral counselor.

             Professional counselor:  An employee of an institution whose official responsibilities include providing psychological counseling to members of the institution’s community and who is functioning within the scope of his or her license or certification for such counseling.

CSA are required to report any crime reported to them to the Department of Public Safety. Crimes reported to a CSA and forwarded to the Department of Public Safety are assessed for inclusion in the crime statistics for the Campus Security and Fire Safety Report.

This policy is necessary so the University can comply with federal regulations regarding disclosure of campus crimes. Anonymous reports that provide sufficiently detailed information for classification of the offense, whether or not they include personally identifying information, will be included in the crime statistics and in timely notifications to the community.

Appendix B - Drug Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA)

 

In compliance with the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act, University of Dayton publishes information regarding the University’s educational programs related to drug and alcohol abuse prevention; sanctions for violations of federal, state, and local laws and University policy; a description of health risks associated with alcohol and other drug use; and a description of available treatment programs for students and employees.  A complete description of these topics, as provided in the University’s annual notification to students and employees, is available online at: go.udayton.edu/DAAPP.

CONTACT

For questions relating to the University policies of Student Development, please contact:


Bill Fischer, Vice President for Student Development
937-229-3682
Email