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New Mass Campus Crime Information Bill (House Bill 3249)

(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: fscpd907

A Massachusetts law states that complete information on burglaries, stabbings and any other illegal acts that may occur on campuses at private institutions can be withheld by campus police. Though the police make their daily logs available to the public, the campus may elect to include the bare minimum of the report rather than the true, entire story.

A new bill informally known as the Mass. Campus Crime Info. Bill would allow all information that happens on campus publicly available.

House Bill 3249 was heard by the Massachusetts legislature Joint Committee on State Administration & Regulatory Oversight last June 19, but is still in the process of being passed. Officially, the bill would "stipulate that private colleges and universities employing special State Police officers make the officers' crime reports accessible upon request, just as all public colleges and universities do under current law," according to one of the groups working to pass the bill, the Safe Campus Initiative.

The bill also intends to give community members access to objective, factual information in police officers' incident reports, "so they can better prepare and take specific precautions."

SCI, a non-profit organization and active campus safety advocate group, was formed by students from Boston University, Harvard and MIT, three of the many private schools in Massachusetts. According to their Web site, the overall mission is "to make school campuses a safer place for college students."

Current initiatives that SCI has undertaken include the distribution of alcohol and date rape drug test strips, as well as the drafting and lobbying of the Massachusetts Campus Crime Information Bill.

The other group that supports the bill is Security On Campus, Inc., a national group dedicated to issues of student and campus security. SOC is "responsible for the passage of the laws that ensure basic crime information and sound security policies for all students and staff in the country."

SOC began in New Bedford in 1987 after co-founders Connie and recently passed Howard Clery's daughter was raped and murdered at Lehigh University, a private school in Pennsylvania. The group came together when the Clerys found that their daughter's assailant, a fellow Lehigh student, had a history of criminal behavior that was kept quiet by the school to "protect its image."

According to SOC public affairs official John Doherty, the most recent Department of Justice report shows that crime is rising much higher at private schools than at public schools.

"Why shouldn't Massachusetts have one fair standard for the dissemination of campus police crime information?" he asked. "Why should a private college be allowed to do less than a public one? If you don't know what the problems are, how will you know about epidemics?"

Shannon Burchill, from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, said the bill would be a really good idea.

"There are a lot of horrible things that happen on a daily basis around the area because it is right in the city and a lot of students, especially those not from around here, don't realize how close to home these may affect them," she said. "I definitely think that it might cause a negative reaction for some people and deter some from attending, but on the other hand, many students who want to live in a city also know that a lot of crime goes on and it wouldn't affect their decision to apply."

Tiffany Lee, from Bentley College in Waltham, agreed.

"Right now we have a little section in our weekly student newspaper about little things that happen on campus, such as students getting caught with marijuana, etc. However, if there is a major event that is not publicized, I think it should be brought to the students' attention, because it is only fair to us," she said.

Michelle Eston, from Harvard University in Cambridge, did not feel that complete information on campus crime was necessary and said that college students should focus on their own safety.

"The Harvard Police Department sends us e-mail updates on incidents that happen in the area and I really appreciate those updates," she said. "I do think that my school does a good job of keeping violence down, but I think that it's a student's job to act responsibly and try to avoid risky situations."

According to Doherty, the bill must be passed this year. To view the official text of the bill, visit http://safecamp.org/crimebill.html.

Holly Seabury can be reached at hseabury@dailycollegian.com.


Posted by: Kilvinsky

What gets me is, the students don't utilize the information they already have and STILL act in ways that are irresponsible. As I said on another thread, they've been advised to simply lock their damn doors for almost 100 years and still don't even do that.

I can't speak for all college students, God knows there are some very intelligent ones out there (I mean common sensewise) but far too many that I've run into won't blow their noses if they're running unless you specifically point it out AND mention it's a good idea to use a kleenex.

But over all, I don't see the real harm in making the info available, it already is. If you check out the crime log of the HUPD website, pretty much everything that one needs to know is there. I just don't get what they're hoping to accomplish.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fscpd907 View Post
Shannon Burchill, from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, said the bill would be a really good idea.

"There are a lot of horrible things that happen on a daily basis around the area because it is right in the city and a lot of students, especially those not from around here, don't realize how close to home these may affect them," she said. "I definitely think that it might cause a negative reaction for some people and deter some from attending, but on the other hand, many students who want to live in a city also know that a lot of crime goes on and it wouldn't affect their decision to apply."

Tiffany Lee, from Bentley College in Waltham, agreed.

"Right now we have a little section in our weekly student newspaper about little things that happen on campus, such as students getting caught with marijuana, etc. However, if there is a major event that is not publicized, I think it should be brought to the students' attention, because it is only fair to us," she said.

Michelle Eston, from Harvard University in Cambridge, did not feel that complete information on campus crime was necessary and said that college students should focus on their own safety.

"The Harvard Police Department sends us e-mail updates on incidents that happen in the area and I really appreciate those updates," she said. "I do think that my school does a good job of keeping violence down, but I think that it's a student's job to act responsibly and try to avoid risky situations."
I also find the quote from Ms. Burchill amusing. If she KNOWS there are a lot of horrible things that happen on a daily basis, then, she already knows and doesn't need the school paper to tell her. Right? And Ms. Lee seems to think that a major event COULD be hushed up. I think word would get around to SOME degree! Note I said MAJOR event. We all know that minor crap can occassionally get swept under the perverbial rug, but something major is going to come out somehow, it's inevitable.

Ms. Eston is one of those students I previously mentioned, she actually DOES have common sense.

Sigh.




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