The Federal Jeanne Clery Act

The Clery Act was named in memory of Jeanne Clery, a freshman attending Lehigh University. On April 5, 1986, Jeanne was murdered in her dorm room by a fellow student. The school had not informed prospective students and parents about previous violent crimes that had occurred on campus in the three years preceding her murder. In 1987 Jeanne’s parents, Connie and Howard Clery,  founded Security On Campus, Inc. and began lobbying state legislatures and Congress to require colleges to report campus crimes. Their devotion paid off and in 1990, Congress enacted the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act. It was later renamed the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. On December 23, 2024, the law was officially renamed to Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act. Even with the renaming, it is widely referred to as The Clery Act.

The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to report campus crime data, support victims of violence, and publicly outline the policies and procedures they have put into place to improve campus safety. You can find PLU’s most recent  Annual Security & Fire Safety Report here: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report

If you are a designated Campus Security Authority you can learn more about your role and how to report crimes here: CSA Resources