Trinity is committed to maintaining the highest standards for the safety and security of every person on campus.  Trinity’s Department of Public Safety has specific responsibility for all aspects of the campus safety program, but campus safety is also the responsibility of all administrators, staff and faculty in their areas of operation.  Students, guests and visitors to campus can also help to keep Trinity’s campus secure by following campus safety policies, reporting crimes immediately to the Department of Public Safety (x9111) and offering suggestions for improvements.

Mr. Noel Baker (202-884-9105, bakern@trinitydc.edu) is the Director of Public Safety.

Trinity complies with all requirements of the Clery Act, the federal law that mandates specific details of the security and fire safety programs on all university campuses.  Below is a list that provides an inventory of the Clery Act requirements, including links to specific policy statements that demonstrate Trinity’s compliance:

CLERY ACT REQUIRED POLICY AND PROCEDURE CHECKLIST
(overall compliance, see the Department of Public Safety website and the full list of Trinity Policies)

I.  Overview of Police/Security Department:  A statement of current policies concerning campus law enforcement that:  (Annual Safety and Fire Report pp. 8-10)

  1. Addresses the enforcement authority of security personnel
  2. Their relationship with State and local police agencies
  3. A statement about whether or the institution has an MOU with the local PD regarding the investigation of criminal incidents.
  4. Whether those security personnel have the authority to arrest individuals

II.  Reporting Procedures  (Annual Safety and Fire Report pp. 12-13 and DPS Website Crime Prevention)

  1. A statement of current campus policies regarding procedures for students and others to report criminal actions or other emergencies occurring on campus.
  2. This statement must include the institution’s policies concerning its response to these reports.
  3. A list of the titles of each person or organization to whom students and employees should report the criminal offenses described in the law for the purpose of making timely warning reports and the annual statistical disclosure.Note:  Report crimes immediately to the Security Dispatcher at x9111 (202-884-9111)
    Key Personnel with campus crime reporting responsibilities include:

    Karen Gerlach, Vice President for Student Affairs (202-884-9203, gerlachk@trinitydc.edu)
    Mr. Noel Baker, Director of Public Safety (202-884-9105, bakern@trinitydc.edu)
    Michele Bowie, Dean of Students (202-884-9611, bowiem@trinitydc.edu)
    Tracey Prince Ross, Executive Director of Human Resources (202-884-9126, PrinceTr@trinitydc.edu)
    Sarah Phelps, General Counsel (202-884-9049, phelpss@trinitydc.edu)
    Amy Patten, Director of Health Servcies (202-884-9618, pattena@trinitydc.edu)
  4. Encourages accurate and prompt reporting of all crimes to the campus police and the appropriate police agencies
  5. Disclose whether the institution has any policies or procedures that allow victims or witnesses to report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis for inclusion in the annual disclosure of crime statistics, and if so, a description of those policies and procedures.
  6. Describe procedures, if any, that encourage pastoral counselors and professional counselors, if and when they deem it appropriate, to inform the persons they are counseling of any procedures to report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis for inclusion in the annual disclosure of crime statistics.

III.             Timely Warning Procedures:  Policies for making timely warning reports to members of the campus community regarding the occurrence of crimes listed in the Clery Act (Annual Safety and Fire Report pp. 14-15-16) including

  • The circumstances for which a warning will be issued
  • The individual or office responsible for issuing the warning
  • The manner in which the warning will be disseminated

IV.             Emergency Evacuation Procedures and Policies:  A statement of current campus policies regarding immediate emergency response and evacuation procedures.  (Annual Safety and Fire Report pp. 14-15-16 and also the Emergency Management Plan on Trinity’s website)

  • Include a description of the use of electronic and cellular communication (see statement on Emergency Communications)
  • A statement that the campus will immediately notify the campus community upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or staff occurring on the campus.
  • Include a list of the titles of the person(s) or organization(s) responsible for carrying out the following actions and provide a description of the process the institution will use to:
  • Confirm that there is a significant emergency or dangerous situation.
  • Determine the appropriate segment or segments of the campus community to receive a notification
  • Determine the content of the notification
  • Initiate the notification system.
  • If there is an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on campus—have you described how you provide follow-up information to the community.
  • A statement that the institution will, without delay, and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system, unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.
  • Indicate procedures for disseminating emergency information to the larger community.
  • Publicize the procedures to test emergency response and evacuation procedures on an annual basis.

V.  Local Police Department:  A statement of policy concerning the monitoring and recording through local police agencies of criminal activity in which students engaged at off-campus locations of student organizations officially recognized by the institution, including student organizations with off-campus housing facilities.  (Note:  Trinity has no off-campus locations for officially recognized student organizations, nor does Trinity sponsor off-campus housing facilities.)

VI.             Access to Campus Facilities:  A statement of current policies concerning security of and access to campus facilities, including campus residences. (Annual Safety and Fire Report pp. 17-18 and Policy Statement on Access to Trinity’s Campus)

VII.          Maintenance of Campus Facilities: Security considerations used in the maintenance of campus facilities. (Annual Safety and Fire Report p. 17)

VIII.        Education Programs: A description of the type and frequency of security awareness programs designed to inform students and employees about campus security procedures and practices and to encourage students and employees to be responsible for their own security and the security of others.  (Annual Fire and Safety Report pp. 13-14); A description of programs designed to inform students and employees about the prevention of crimes.

IX.  Alcohol and Drug Policies:  (Student Handbook, p. 22 and the Student Code of Responsible Conduct)

  1. A statement of policy regarding the possession, use, and sale of alcoholic beverages and enforcement of State underage drinking laws.
  2. A statement of policy regarding the possession, use, and sale of illegal drugs and enforcement of Federal and State drug laws.
  3. A description of any drug or alcohol-abuse education programs, as required under section 120(a) through (d) of the HEA. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, an institution may cross-reference the materials the institution uses to comply with section 120(a) through (d) of the HEA.

X.  Crime Statistics:  Policies for preparing the annual disclosure of crime statistics  (Annual Safety and Fire Report p. 30 and DPS website)

XI.    Annual Fire Safety Report:  (Annual Safety and Fire Report)

  • Is the fire safety report printed in the Annual Security Report or as a separate document? Yes
  • If they are printed together, does the title of the report reflect that is the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report? Yes
  • The report must contain a description of each on-campus student housing facility fire safety system
  • The report must contain the number of fire drills held during the previous calendar year
  • The institution’s policies or rules on portable electrical appliances, smoking, and open flames in a student housing facility
  • The institution’s procedures for student housing evacuation in case of a fire
  • The policies regarding fire safety education and training programs provided to the students, faculty, and staff.  In these policies, the institution must describe the procedures that students and employees should follow in the case of a fire
  • For purposes of including a fire in the statistics in the annual fire safety report, a list of the titles of each person or organization to which students and employees should report that a fire occurred
  • Plans for future improvements in fire safety, if determined necessary by the institution.
  • Publish an Annual Fire Safety Report to include:
    • Statistics (3 most recent calendar years)
      • Number of fires
      • The cause of each fire
      • Number of injuries related to a fire that result in treatment at a medical facility
      • Number of deaths related to a fire
      • Value of property damage caused by a fire

XII.          Missing Students  (see Policy on Missing Students)

  • Indicate a list of titles of the persons or organizations to which students, employees, or other individuals should report that a student has been missing for 24 hours.
  • Require that any official missing student report must be referred immediately to the institution’s police or campus security department, or, in the absence of an institutional police or campus security department, to the local law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction in the area.
  • Procedure must contain an option for each student living in an on-campus student housing facility to identify a contact person or persons whom the institution shall notify if the student is determined missing by the institutional police or campus security department, or the local law enforcement agency.
  • You must advise students that their contact information will be registered confidentially, and that this information will be accessible only to authorized campus officials and law enforcement and that it may not be disclosed outside of a missing person investigation.
  • The procedures that the institution must follow when a student who resides in an on-campus student housing facility is determined to have been missing for 24 hours include: (i) If the student has designated a contact person, notifying that contact person within 24 hours.
  • (ii) If the student is under 18 years of age and is not emancipated, notifying the student’s custodial parent or guardian and any other designated contact person within 24 hours.
  • (iii) Regardless of whether the student has identified a contact person, is above the age of 18, or is an emancipated minor, informing the local law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction in the area that the student is missing within 24 hours.

 XIII.       Sexual Assault Policies  (Annual Safety and Fire Report pp. 21-26 and the Harassment Policy):  A statement of policy regarding the institution’s campus sexual assault programs to prevent sex offenses, and procedures to follow when a sex offense occurs. The statement must include:

  • A description of educational programs to promote the awareness of rape, acquaintance rape, and other forcible and non-forcible sex offenses.
  • Procedures students should follow if a sex offense occurs, including procedures concerning who should be contacted, the importance of preserving evidence for the proof of a criminal offense, and to whom the alleged offense should be reported.
  • Information on a student’s option to notify appropriate law enforcement authorities, including on-campus and local police, and a statement that institutional personnel will assist the student in notifying these authorities, if the student requests the assistance of these personnel.
  • Notification to students of existing on- and off-campus counseling, mental health, or other student services for victims of sex offenses.
  • Notification to students that the institution will change a victim’s academic and living situations after an alleged sex offense and of the options for those changes, if those changes are requested by the victim and are reasonably available.
  • Procedures for campus disciplinary action in cases of an alleged sex offense, including a clear statement that—The accuser and the accused are entitled to the same opportunities to have others present during a disciplinary proceeding.
  • Both the accuser and the accused must be informed of the outcome of any institutional disciplinary proceeding brought alleging a sex offense.
  • Sanctions the institution may impose following a final determination of an institutional disciplinary proceeding regarding rape, acquaintance rape, or other forcible or non-forcible sex offenses.
  • Statement that the institution will, upon written request, disclose to the alleged victim of a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense, the report on the results of any disciplinary proceeding conducted by the institution against a student who is the alleged perpetrator of such crime or offense. If the alleged victim is deceased as a result of such crime or offense, the next of kin of such victim shall be treated as the alleged victim for purposes of this paragraph.

XIV.       Sex Offender Registry:   Advises the campus community where information provided by the state concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained.