01.F.01 – Public Safety Standards
Section: General Administration
Area: Public Safety
1. PURPOSE
This document serves to facilitate standards of operations for police departments within each university of the University of Houston System.
2. STANDARDIZATION
2.1. Police Staff Qualifications: All Peace Officers hired by any university will adhere to the qualifications required by the Texas Administrative Code,
Title 37, Public Safety, Part VII, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), Chapter 217 . Any additional qualifications may be determined by the university departments as needed.
2.2. Police Staff Resources Allocations: Each university police department will develop a plan on how to allocate police personnel for that campus (e.g., staffing level, types of service).
2.3. Salary Levels and Incentive Pay: Salary levels and incentive pay will be allocated as needed by each university.
2.4. Position Descriptions: Each university police department will have an accurate job description for every TCOLE certified position.
2.5. Types of Services: Each university police department will detail police services routinely provided and publish the information on the web.
2.6. Police Vehicle Fleet: All universities will comply with the following:
2.6.1. Texas Penal Code, Title 7 Offenses Against Property, Chapter 31 Theft, Section 7 Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle ;
2.6.2. Texas Government Code, Title 10 General Government, Chapter 2203 Use of State Property, Section 1 Reporting Use of State Vehicle; Penalties ; and
2.6.3. Texas Transportation Code, Title 7 Vehicles and Traffic, Chapter 545 Operation and Movement of Vehicles, Section 413 Safety Belts; Offense .
2.7. Policies and Procedures that Define the Role and Responsibilities of the Police Department : Each university police department will maintain a set of administrative policies.
2.8. Security Officers: Each university police department may employ security officers who are not Peace Officers. The security officers will be trained, assisted, and managed by Peace Officers of the university police departments.
2.9. Police Officer Uniforms: All uniform items will be approved by the university police department Chiefs. Uniforms must be clean and serviceable and uphold the dignity and professionalism of a Peace Officer and state employee.
3. CLERY ACT COMPLIANCE
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act , part of the Federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and as further amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) , and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (collectively known as the "Clery Act") requires that colleges and universities participating in federal student aid programs gather and report to the campus community and the federal government statistics for certain crimes that occur on or near campuses, and publish policy statements concerning campus safety and security. The Clery Act also requires that such institutions have policies in place to take certain actions when circumstances prescribe that those actions are required.
3.1. General Requirements: Each university (e.g., UH, UHD, UHV, and UHCL) and their affiliated regional teaching centers (hereinafter, "Campus") are responsible for independently complying with all of the Clery Act requirements as further described.
(a) Collect, classify and count crime reports, crime statistics, and disciplinary referrals for crimes as specified in the Clery Act, including hate crimes, that occur (1) on campus; (2) in campus residential housing facilities; (3) within public property, including thoroughfares, streets, sidewalks, and parking facilities, that is within the campus or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus; and/or (4) on certain non-campus property, otherwise known as "Clery Geography."
1) All reported Clery Act crimes must be recorded for Clery statistics purposes.
2) The crimes required to be reported are listed in the Clery Act.
3) The list of reportable Clery Act crimes is available in the Clery Act Appendix for the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Handbook .
(b) Publish an annual security report containing safety and security policy statements and crime statistics for the last three years and distribute it to all current students and employees no later than October 1st each year. Campuses must also inform prospective students and employees about the availability of the report.
(c) Submit crime statistics annually to the Department of Education via a web-based data collection process.
(d) Issue a timely warning for any Clery Act crimes that represents an ongoing threat to the safety of students or employees while withholding as confidential, the names and other identifying information of the victims.
(e) Issue an emergency notification upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on campus.
(f) Ensure that the contracts listed in Items 1) and 2) below abide by the following:
1) Contracts for reservations of off-campus space must include:
a. The exact geographic locations that will be utilized by the university.
Including building subsections, room numbers, parking lot designations, and other identifying information whenever applicable.
b. The exact time spans during which the off-campus space will be utilized.
2) Contracts for services with an individual who meets the definition of a Campus Security Authority (CSA) in Section 3.4.1 must include:
a. The exact geographic location where the services will be provided (i.e., the patrol jurisdiction of a contracted security service).
b. The exact time spans during which the service will be utilized.
c. Notice to the individual of his or her reporting and disclosure obligations as a CSA under federal law.
3.2. Additional Requirements for Campuses with On-Campus Student Housing : In addition to the above requirements, each Campus with on-campus student housing must:
(a) Disclose missing student notification procedures that pertain to students residing in those facilities.
(b) Disclose fire safety information related to those facilities. Campuses must:
1) Keep a fire log that is open to public inspection.
2) Publish an annual fire safety report containing policy statements and fire statistics for the last three years. Campuses must also inform prospective students and employees about the availability of the report.
3) Submit fire statistics annually to the Department of Education via a web-based data collection process.
3.3. Crime Log: Campuses that maintain a campus police or security department are required to keep a daily crime log of alleged criminal incidents that is open to public inspection. The daily crime log must include:
(a) The nature, date, time, and general location of each crime; and
(b) The disposition of the complaint, if known.
All entries to the daily crime log, except where disclosure of such information is prohibited by law or such disclosure would jeopardize the confidentiality of the victim, must be open to public inspection within two business days of the initial report being made to the department or a campus security authority.
If new information about an entry into the daily crime log becomes available to a police or security department, then the new information shall be recorded in the log not later than two business days after the information becomes available to the police or security department.
If there is clear and convincing evidence that the release of such information would jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation or the safety of an individual, cause a suspect to flee or evade detection, or result in the destruction of evidence, such information may be withheld until that damage is no longer likely to occur from the release of such information.
3.4. Responsibilities: The following departments and/or individuals have responsibilities under the Clery Act :
3.4.1. Campus Security Authorities (CSAs): Campus Security Authorities (CSAs) are individuals or organizations on campus who have responsibility under the Clery Act to report allegations of Clery Act crimes to the appropriate campus police or security department. CSAs shall immediately forward reports of crimes to campus police or security department to ensure statistical inclusion of all crimes specified by the Clery Act in the annual security report. CSAs have been broadly defined by the Department of Education to encompass the following four groups:
• A campus police department or campus security department of an institution;
• An individual or individuals who have responsibility for campus security but who do not constitute a campus police department or campus security department (e.g., an individual who is responsible for monitoring the entrance to institutional property or escorts students around campus after dark);
• An individual or organization specified in an institution's statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which students and employees should report criminal offenses; and
• An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline, and campus judicial proceedings. If such official is a pastoral or professional counselor, the official is not considered a CSA when acting as a pastoral or professional counselor.
All CSAs are required to complete training on an annual basis.
3.4.2. Campus Police Department: Unless specifically delegated to another department within this policy, each Campus Police Department is responsible for complying with the Clery Act and performing all responsibilities of this policy. Additionally, each Campus Police Department will:
(1) Make a reasonable, good faith effort to obtain the required Clery Act crime statistics from local or state police agencies for inclusion in the annual security report;
(2) Ensure a notice is sent to current employees regarding the availability of the annual security report no later than October 1st each year; and
(3) Ensure a notice is sent to current students regarding the availability of the annual security report no later than October 1st each year.
3.4.3. CSA Identification and Designation: For those universities that do not designate all employees as CSAs, the Clery Officer or Coordinator will, with the assistance of university departments and colleges, and the Campus Police/Security Department as applicable, identify CSAs as defined in Section 3.4.1. and designate appropriate individuals as CSAs in accordance with Title 34 CFR §668.46(a). The Campus Police/Security Department shall ensure that CSAs are notified in writing of their designation as CSAs. The Campus Police/Security Department shall also ensure that a notice is available to prospective and current employees regarding the availability of the annual security report.
3.4.4. Student Affairs: Student Affairs shall ensure that a notice is available to prospective students regarding the availability of the annual security report.
3.4.5. UHS Clery Compliance Coordinator: The UHS Clery Compliance Coordinator (CCC) shall oversee all Clery Act compliance for the UH System, including compliance with this policy. Additionally, the CCC will:
(1) Review and approve each Campus' annual security report prior to publication;
(2) Review and approve each Campus' annual Clery Act crime statistics report to the Department of Education; and
(3) Create and maintain the UHS Clery Act Compliance Handbook.
4. PATROL BOUNDARIES
Each university will establish patrol boundaries for their department and will define them in their administrative policies. The UH System commissions Peace Officers for the purpose of carrying out provisions of the Texas Education Code, Title 3 Higher Education, Chapter 51, Section 203, Campus Peace Officers .
The primary jurisdiction of a Peace Officer commissioned under this section includes all counties in which property is owned, leased, rented, or otherwise under the control of the institution of higher education or public technical institute that employs the Peace Officer. Where appropriate, a "Memorandum of Understanding" between university police departments and any other adjacent or overlapping police department may be appropriate.
5. ROLE OF THE SENIOR VICE CHANCELLOR FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
The Senior Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance may make recommendations relating to police, security, and fire safety matters within the UH System.
Issued: 01/12/2005
Last Reviewed/Revised: 05/06/2022
Responsible Office(s): Administration and Finance; Police Operations