Clery report outlines safety, security on campus

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, also known as the Clery Report, was released to the Iona College community through a “Campus Communique” email on Sept. 29.

The Clery Act requires the College to release an annual report before Oct. 1 of every year, including three years of crime statistics on or surrounding the campus and the college’s policy statements regarding certain elements of security.

All residence halls on the New Rochelle campus have automated card access control systems, as well as alarm systems in the doors leading into the buildings, according to the report. There are also regular checks on the lighting on campus by the Department of Campus Safety and Security.

On the New Rochelle campus, all residence halls have networked fire alarm systems— which include fire alarm monitoring and smoke detection—as well as four evacuation drills per year, according to the report. All on-campus housing, with the exception of the Eastchester Apartments, have full sprinkler systems as well.

The Clery Report also included records of fire incidents in all residence halls from 2014 to 2016. A trashcan fire in Loftus Hall in 2015 was the only fire reported since 2014. No one was hurt and no damage occurred to property during the fire.

Other incidents on the New Rochelle campus regarding safety and security were also included in the report. There were two forcible sexual offenses reported, one in 2015 and one in 2016, both of which occurred in on-campus residential facilities.

The report showed three instances of domestic violence in 2016, up from two in 2015 and zero in 2014. There were two instances of dating violence in 2015, and three instances of stalking in 2016, down from four in 2015. All reports of domestic violence, dating violence and stalking happened in residential facilities on campus.

One robbery was reported in public property near campus and one burglary was reported every year from 2014 to 2016 in on-campus housing.

One incident of arson and one incident of motor vehicle theft were both reported in 2016 in on-campus facilities.

The report showed 39 drug violations in 2016, up from 36 in 2015. All violations happened in residential facilities. Under disciplinaries and referrals for drug violations, there were 159 disciplinary actions in 2016, up from 143 actions in 2015 and 116 in 2014. There was one arrest for drug violation reported in 2015.

The report also showed 125 liquor law violations in 2016, 106 violations in 2015 and 129 in 2014. There were 325 disciplinary actions or referrals in 2016, up from 275 in 2015 and 308 in 2014.

One weapons possession in campus housing was reported in 2014. None were reported for 2015 and 2016.

Students were given information on the services provided by security at the college during freshman orientation. They were also informed about Iona’s fire safety, sexual assault and crime prevention policies.

The report outlined the College’s procedures regarding fire safety, discrimination and harassment, as well as bias-related incidents. It also outlined the college’s policies on substance use and abuse, sexual misconduct and assault, mandatory reporting, and emergency response. In the event of a violent crime, weather related emergency or hazardous material incident, the college’s Emergency Notification System will send out alerts of the incident to students’ phones.

The annual statistical reports for both Rockland and Rockefeller Center campuses were also included in the report.

To view the Clery Report, visit www.iona.edu.