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Jean Cleary Disclosure of Campus Security and Campus Crime Statistics Act | |
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Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act | |
Data sources include ACU Police Department, Abilene Police Department, ACU Office of Judicial Affairs and Office of Dean of Student Life. This information is subject to modification or update at any time.
TOTAL OCCURRENCES ON-CAMPUS
|
CRIME |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Murder/Non-Negligent Manslaughter |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Robbery |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Aggravated Assault |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Burglary |
10 |
17 |
22 |
21 |
9 |
|
Motor Vehicle Theft |
0 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
1 |
|
Arson |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Forcible Sex Offenses |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
|
Non-Forcible Sex Offenses |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
ON-CAMPUS ARRESTS |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Liquor Law Violations |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
Drug Law Violations |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Illegal Weapons Charges |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS/ |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Liquor Law Violations |
4 |
5 |
2 |
9 |
14 |
|
Drug Law Violations |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
|
Illegal Weapons Possessions |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
The entire 2007 Campus Crime Report for Abilene Christian University can be viewed through the web site of The US Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, http://www.ope.ed.gov/security. Copies are available at the ACU Police Department, 1634 Campus Court, Abilene, Texas 79601, during normal business hours.
Sex Offender Registration Information
In accordance with the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act of 2000, which amends the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act, the Jeanne Clery Act and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the ACU Police Department is providing a link to the Texas Department of Public Safety Sex Offender Registry. The link is listed below to your convenience.
This Act requires institutions of higher education to issue a statement advising the campus community where law enforcement information provided by the State concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained.
The Act also requires sex offenders who are required to register in the State, to provide notice of each institution of higher education in the State at which the offender is employed, enrolled or carries on a vocation.
In the State of Texas, convicted sex offenders are required to register with the local municipal or county law enforcement agency that holds primary jurisdiction for the area in which the offender lives. Local agencies then submit this information to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Crime Records Division, Austin Texas. The information is available at the following internet website:
https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DPS_WEB/Portal/index.aspx
Abilene Christian University educates the student community about sexual assaults and acquaintance rape through various programs including but not limited to residence hall crime prevention and awareness programs. These programs are also offered throughout the year at various times and are also available for presentation upon special request to the ACUPD.
Literature on date rape education, risk reduction and the university response to such offenses is available through the Office of Residence Life Education and Housing or The University Counseling Center.
If you are a victim of sexual assault of any kind, you should first get to a place of safety to notify police immediately. If you are on campus, notify ACUPD at 325-674-2305 or 325-674-2911 or simply call 911. Victims should retain all clothing worn during the attack and should not shower or use the restroom, and should not disturb the scene of the attack if at all possible.
Officers from ACUPD will respond immediately and begin a criminal investigation. Officers will arrange for a victims advocate from the local Crime Victims Crisis Counseling Center to come to the scene if the victim wishes. This advocate can accompany the victim throughout the investigative process if desired. Officers and investigators from the Abilene Police Department may also be utilized to assist in the investigation as needed or requested by ACUPD or the victim.
Sexual assault victims may also choose to use a pseudonym to prevent the victims identity from being part of any public record portions of the offense, reports and criminal proceedings.
Victims of sexual assault may also request reasonable changes of academic and/or living assignments through the Dean of Student Life.
The University Counseling Center provides psychological counseling for victims of sexual assault and other referral services for those who desire or need other treatment options.
Students who are the victims of sexual assault by another ACU student have the following options available to them:
Special Note: If you have been sexually assaulted, call 911 immediately. To preserve physical evidence, do not shower, bathe or change clothes.
The ACU Police Department Annual Campus Crime Report (The Report) is published on the ACU Police Department web page each year and includes crime statistics and other information for each of the three most recent calendar years. This report is published in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Safety & Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (The Act). These crime statistics include certain categories of crimes required for disclosure under The Act which occurred on the campus, in campus buildings, non-campus buildings and properties owned or controlled by ACU and on public properties immediately adjacent to the ACU campus. These crimes include those crimes which were reported to ACUPD, certain other university officials as well as those which were reported to local law enforcement authorities.
The ACUPD Chief of Police is responsible for preparing and publishing this report. In addition to campus police records, data provided by various other campus offices including Judicial Affairs and the Dean of Student Life and other campus authorities is also used for the report.
The Report also includes current information about the ACU Police Department policies, campus crime statistics, crime prevention information, crime reporting procedures and contact information. The report also includes information related to the ACU policies regarding sexual assault offenses, and liquor and drug violations.
The Report is distributed annually to all students, employees and all potential students and employees of ACU. Copies of the report are available upon request to the ACU Police Department. This report and information is provided pursuant to the disclosure requirements of the Campus Crime and Awareness and Security Act of 1990 and the Drug Free Schools Act of 1989.
Abilene Christian University is authorized by Texas law to operate its own campus police department. The ACU Police Department (ACUPD) staff is made up of ten full-time police officers and six part-time public safety personnel, in addition to office and clerical personnel. Officers are on duty 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.
All ACUPD Police Officers have completed State of Texas approved law enforcement academies and are fully certified and licensed as Texas Peace Officers by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Officers are commissioned as police officers by ACU under the provisions of the Texas Education Code, section 51.212 and are recognized as peace officers under Article 2.12 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, and in addition are also certified as adjunct City of Abilene Police Department police officers under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 2.123.
Pursuant to these statutes, ACUPD officers have full police powers and authority to respond to police-related calls and other emergencies, investigate reported crimes, arrest individuals, and enforce traffic law. The primary jurisdiction of ACUPD includes the properties owned or controlled by ACU, but also applies anytime that ACUPD officers are otherwise in the commission of their assigned duties. Additionally, all Texas Peace Officers, including ACU officers, may arrest individuals for certain types of offenses even while outside their primary jurisdiction. ACUPD Officers also operate with full Peace Officer authority as adjunct Abilene Police Officers anytime they are off campus and within a designated geographic zone extending more than one-mile radius of the ACU campus.
ACUPD maintains a close working relationship with the City of Abilene Police Department, the local office of the Texas Department of Public Safety and the local field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Officers are in direct radio contact with the Abilene Police Department and will also respond to police calls in the neighborhoods immediately adjacent to the campus when requested by APD or when emergency circumstances are present. ACUPD meets regularly with APD to discuss crimes, incidents and trends that may jointly affect the City and ACU.
ACUPD also monitors APD call/offense data for any student involvement in criminal activity off-campus. This information is forwarded to the university Office of Judicial Affairs and the Dean of Student Life for possible university follow-up pursuant to university conduct code violation.
ACU Police Officers are also classified by ACU as university officials and have the authority to enforce certain university regulations and policies related to student conduct issues, parking regulations and other university policy matters. When ACUPD officers handle students related to matters of university policy, these cases are referred through the university Office of Judicial Affairs or through the Dean of Student Life.
When students are handled by ACUPD officers on matters that constitute violations of local, State or federal laws, the students may be subject to arrest or citation as allowed by law. Additionally, in criminal cases involving students, the case will also be referred through the university Office of Judicial Affairs for possible university sanctions and/or discipline.
The ACU Police Department is located on the ACU campus at 1634 Campus Court.
ACUPD can be reached by telephone 24/7 by calling 325-674-2305 or 325-674-2911. When calling from any campus phone, ACUPD can be reached by dialing 2305 or 2911. Callers may also dial 911 in emergencies. Dialing 911 will route callers to the City of Abilene 911 Center, who will then notify and dispatch ACUPD officers as needed.
Abilene 911 will then notify ACUPD of any campus emergencies.
All members of the ACU community including students, faculty, staff and visitors are encouraged to report all crimes and public safety related incidents to the ACU Police Department in a timely manner. Crimes should always be reported to ACUPD to ensure inclusion in the annual Campus Crime Report and statistics and to aid ACUPD in providing timely warning information to the campus community when appropriate.
To report a crime or other emergency, call ACUPD at extension 2305 or 2911 when calling from any campus phone. If calling from a non-campus phone, call 325-674-2305 or 325-674-2911.
Police, Fire or Medical Emergencies may also be reported to the City of Abilene 911 Center by calling 911. All 911 calls originating from campus phones are also reported to ACUPD by the Abilene 911 Center for immediate response by ACUPD personnel and other emergency service personnel as needed.
In some cases, students and employees report certain victim or non-emergency criminal information to other ACU personnel besides the ACUPD. While ACUPD strongly encourages all reports of criminal activity or offenses to be reported directly to ACUPD initially, campus personnel that students and employees may report certain victim or non-emergency criminal activity to would include Residence Life Education and Housing Residence Director Staff, Judicial Affairs personnel, Dean of Student Life and University Counseling Center employees and counselors. These campus officials are aware of their need to share crime information with ACUPD and are encouraged to do so to ensure the overall safety and security of the campus and community.
If you are the victim of a crime and do not wish to pursue the matter through the criminal justice system or within the university judicial system, you may still want to consider filing a confidential report with the ACU Police Department.
With your permission, the Chief of Police or his designee can file a report on the details of the incident without revealing your identity. The purpose of filing confidential reports in some cases is to comply with your wish to remain anonymous, while taking steps to ensure the safety of yourself and others. By being informed about the incident, the ACU Police Department can keep an accurate count as to the numbers of incidents affecting the campus community and determine if a pattern of crime exists regarding a particular offense, area of campus, suspect or method of operation and alert the campus community to any such information. Reports filed confidentially are included in the annual crime statistics for the university.
The ACU Police Department conducts a comprehensive crime prevention program tailored for the university community, emphasizing each person’s role and responsibility in helping to provide for their own personal safety and the overall safety of the campus.
Programs including topics such as general crime prevention, personal safety, sexual assault prevention and identity theft are presented each Fall semester during orientation sessions and mandatory Freshman residence hall meetings. Programs are also offered at various times during the school year and are also available upon request for special presentations anytime during the year.
Programs detailing the services provided by ACUPD and other general safety and crime prevention tips are presented to all new students and their parents during Fall orientation sessions by ACUPD personnel.
Crime Prevention programs dealing with personal and residence hall safety as well as sexual assault prevention programs dealing with sexual assault, date rape, club drug safety, are offered at various times throughout the year. Also any presentation or topic is always available upon request by any student or employee group. All presentations are available to students, faculty and staff.
A common theme of all awareness and crime prevention programs is the encouragement for students and employees to be aware that they share responsibility for their safety and that of the campus and can do their part by immediately reporting all criminal or suspicious activity to ACUPD.
The ACU Police Department strives to keep the campus and campus community safe. Part of keeping the campus and community safe involves keeping the community informed about certain situations on or near campus that could pose an ongoing or continuing threat to the campus or members of the campus community.
In the event that a situation arises either on or near campus that, in the judgment of the Chief of Police, ACU Police Department, constitutes an ongoing or continuing threat to the campus or to members of the campus community, a campus wide “Timely Warning” will be issued through the campus e-mail and alert systems to all students, faculty/staff members and also through the campus newspaper, the Optimist, when possible.
When the circumstances could pose a more immediate threat to members of the campus community, the warning may also be posted on the announcements portion of MyACU.
Timely Warnings will also be distributed and displayed in prominent locations on campus including all Residence Halls, Campus Center, and Campus Center Information Desk.
Residence Halls
Abilene Christian University offers traditional residence halls that provide campus housing for approximately 2,500 students. The safety and security of these residents, their property and the facility is important to ACU.
The office of Residence Life Education and Housing manages all ACU Residence Hall facilities. Every ACU residence hall is staffed by a professional, live-in residence hall director and a live-in assistant hall director. A variety of live-in residence assistants (RA’s) and other student staff also work in each campus residence hall facility. All staff members working in Residence Life Education and Housing undergo comprehensive training each year regarding community living environments and how safety and security are a vital part of that environment. All members of Residence Life Education and Housing actively partner with the ACUPD to help keep the residence halls as safe as possible.
Each hall is locked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with access being restricted to residents with valid electronic card reader access cards. Access is allowed at main entrances only. Additionally, night desk/lobby staff are on duty 24 hours every day. Access to residence hall facilities is restricted to residents, escorted guests and university staff. ACUPD can assist individuals with access needs after hours if Resident Life staff are unavailable.
Safety and security related presentations are made each Fall semester to all campus residence halls to alert residents to the fact that they are partners in preventing campus crime. Residents are encouraged to always lock their room doors and to alert Residence Life staff and the ACUPD if they see or hear anything unusual in or around the residence hall facilities.
Academic and administrative buildings are locked by ACU custodial personnel at varying times depending on the needs of the particular departments using the building.
Most academic and administrative buildings are open from 7:30 am to 5:30pm weekdays.
The campus and all buildings are closed for university approved holidays.
Once a facility is locked, it is deemed to be closed to the public. Emergency access to any campus building can be requested through the ACUPD.
The ACU Physical Resource Department and grounds crews work hard to maintain an attractive landscaped campus. Efforts are made to ensure that landscape plants and shrubs are maintained so that they do not pose security risks for building or personal safety.
Any concerns about plants/shrubs or landscaping that may pose a safety or security risk should be reported to ACUPD.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]-->The possession, consumption, or distribution of alcoholic beverages on campus (including all ACU residence halls and ACU affiliated apartments) is strictly prohibited. Moreover, any student present where alcohol is found on campus (including but not limited to residence halls or apartment rooms, vehicles, or in personal belongings) may be subject to sanctions.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. <!--[endif]-->2. Alcohol is prohibited at all University-sponsored events (including off-campus events).
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. <!--[endif]-->Any officially recognized student club or organization (regardless of legal drinking age of its members) is prohibited from hosting or participating in any formal group event (on or off-campus) that involves alcohol. Such groups include, but are not limited to: special interest groups, social clubs, athletic and intramural teams, and Spring Break Campaigns, etc.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. <!--[endif]-->Intoxicated students coming onto campus or to a University-sponsored event will be sanctioned. For the purposes of ACU’s student conduct policy and process, intoxication will be defined as any disruptive, destructive, hazardous, vulgar, or uncontrolled behavior during or following the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. <!--[endif]-->Alcohol-related disturbances caused by ACU students who reside in local off campus housing may result in disciplinary action.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->6. <!--[endif]-->Alcohol paraphernalia (such as glassware commonly used to serve alcoholic beverages; empty beer bottles or cans; posters, clothing, or signs promoting alcohol, etc.) is not permitted on campus.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->7. <!--[endif]-->All students must abide by
<!--[if !supportLists]-->a. <!--[endif]-->The purchase, possession, or consumption of alcoholic beverages by a person under 21 years of age (Texas Alcohol Beverage Code Sec. 106.02, 106.04-106.05, 106.071);
<!--[if !supportLists]-->b. <!--[endif]-->Being intoxicated in public to the degree that one poses a danger to him/herself or to others (Texas Penal Code Sec. 49.02);
<!--[if !supportLists]-->c. <!--[endif]-->Furnishing alcohol beverages to a minor (Texas Alcohol Beverage Code Sec. 106.06);
d. Driving under the influence of alcohol (Texas Penal Code Sec. 49.04).
Sanctions:
Students who are found guilty of violating the University policy concerning the possession, consumption, or distribution of alcohol or related disturbances will be subject to a range and/or combination of the following sanctions: (1) fines ranging from $100 to $250; (2) completion of an alcohol education program, which involves a $75 fee to students; (3) counseling; (4) disciplinary probation; (5) indefinite suspension; and (6) dismissal from the University. Violations of under-age drinking, and serving or making alcohol available to those who are under the legal drinking age will result in strict sanctions (up to and including dismissal), and will be turned over to the appropriate legal authorities.
Based on the university alcohol policy, students found in violation of this policy or of applicable alcoholic beverage laws will be subject to university discipline in addition to citations or arrest as allowed by applicable State law.
In keeping with the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act, ACU enforces a zero tolerance policy prohibiting the unlawful possession, use or distribution of illegal drugs and controlled substances. The university upholds all local, State and federal laws related to possession, use and distribution of illegal drugs and/or drug paraphernalia.
Offenses involving on-campus possession, use or distribution of illegal drugs and controlled substances will be handled by ACUPD for criminal investigation, applicable arrests and referrals for criminal prosecution. In addition to the criminal justice system, student violators will also be referred through the university Judicial Affairs Office for university sanctions and discipline.
Abilene Christian University has developed programs to help prevent the illicit use of drugs and the abuse of alcohol by students and employees. These programs provide services related to drug and alcohol use and abuse including dissemination of informational materials, educational programs, counseling services, referrals and university disciplinary actions.
The University Counseling Center provides overall coordination of these programs, however, many other services are the responsibility of other areas of the university. These include:
Alcohol and Drug Education:
Counseling Services:
University Counseling Center
Referral Services:
ACU Medical Clinic
University Disciplinary Actions:
Office of Judicial Affairs
