We are on a mission to provide clear and transparent reporting and awareness about violent, sexual and hate crimes committed on and around college and university campuses.
At Campus Truth & Accountability Network (“CTAN”), we believe that campuses are fertile ground to nurture and evolve the next generation of leaders. Sadly, many campuses underreport the dangerous environments that often plague our universities.
Our goal is to create a culture of truth and accountability from the school’s Administration, to students, parents and faculty. Our children and our future leaders deserve to be safe so they may focus on the incredible personal and academic growth opportunities college is meant to provide. Having unfettered access to complete crime information is the start of creating a safer campus environment.
Our work
The Clery Act Modernization and NIBRS Compliance Act: The Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, formally known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, is a U.S. federal law that requires colleges and universities receiving federal funding to maintain and disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. Enacted in 1990 and named after Jeanne Clery, a student who was tragically murdered in her dorm room in 1986, the Act mandates institutions to publish an annual security report, maintain a public crime log, and issue timely warnings and emergency notifications about ongoing threats. Its goal is to promote transparency, improve campus safety, and ensure that students and employees are informed about potential risks in their campus communities.
Unfortunately, our deep research had shown that many schools systematically underreport, manipulate, misreport or omit crimes that should be reported under the Act.
Importantly, the world has changed dramatically in the 35 years since the Act was passed, and a dramatic modernization is long overdue.
CTAN has drafted the Clery Modernization Act, to bring reporting and awareness of campus crimes into the 21st century. We are currently working with Congress to bring this proposed Act to the Floor.
Summary of the
Clery Act Modernization and NIBRS Compliance Act
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Replace outdated Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) with FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
Improve accuracy and detail in reporting all crimes including hate crimes.
Enhance transparency in crime classification and case closures.
Broaden the scope to include online and electronic crimes under a new “Extended Clery Geography.”
Increase accountability and establish stricter penalties for noncompliance.
Standardize and centralize access to crime data through dashboards and APIs.
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Institutions must disclose detailed Clery geography maps online.
Include electronic crimes (e.g., cyber harassment) in reports and logs.
Extend reporting obligations to institution-controlled digital platforms.
Provide direct access to crime data in admission, job offer letters, billing statements, and faculty reviews.
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Mandate NIBRS compliance for all crime data and case closure classifications.
Align Clery crime categories with NIBRS standards; disclose all NIBRS offenses.
Prohibit unjustified reclassification of cases as “unfounded.”
Require Clery Campus Safety Dashboards for real-time and historical crime data, publicly available and machine-readable.
Preserve historical data for at least 10 years.
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Prohibit alteration or removal of crime data.
Department of Education (ED) to implement audit systems with change-tracking.
Institutions cannot depend on ED third-party compliance contractors.
Require independent third-party audits for verification.
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ED must conduct regular random audits; investigations to conclude in six months.
Penalties include fines, treble damages for data manipulation, and possible federal funding suspension for repeat violations.
Establishes a private right of action for harmed individuals and whistleblower protections.
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ED to publish annual compliance scorecards and grades.
Mandatory certified training for compliance personnel on NIBRS.
Institutions must submit data for independent audits annually.
Fines used to fund oversight and enforcement mechanisms.
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Institutions must begin compliance immediately, achieving full compliance within 12 months.
ED to issue implementing regulations within 180 days.
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