Campus Security Policies

Crime Reporting and Prevention

Numerous efforts are made to inform members of the College community in a timely manner about campus crime and crime-related problems. These efforts include Daily Logs and Observation Reports. These logs and reports are distributed by officers to senior administrators and select members of the College community. Copies may be requested from the Office of Campus Safety.

Additionally, in compliance with federal law, ArtCenter prepares an annual report that discloses campus crime and certain security policies, which is available on this website. The crime statistics are compiled using reports made to campus security, deans and other campus officials. A copy of the crime statistics is filed with the U.S. Department of Education and is available at their website.

Regular Campus Safety and Health email alerts also help keep the campus population informed of security issues and possible dangerous situations that arise, such as dangerous weather conditions and wildlife observed on campus.

ArtCenter is aware that crimes may go unreported to law enforcement and strongly encourage our students, staff, faculty and visitors to immediately report any crimes that have occurred within our community to ArtCenter Campus Security officers. To report a crime, unusual situation or event during business hours, contact a Campus Safety officer immediately. Campus Safety personnel are on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays and term breaks.

Campus Safety personnel are stationed at the reception desk of individual buildings on both campuses. You can also contact the main reception line by phone at 626 396-2200.

If you cannot locate an officer, you can contact Campus Safety by calling 626 396-2299, by dialing extension 2211 from an on-campus phone or by using one of the emergency phones, which are located throughout each campus.

Most crimes can be prevented. At ArtCenter, crime prevention is a partnership between the College and its students. You can prevent crime by making safe behavior part of your lifestyle.

The College offers many services to help you stay safe:

1. Campus Safety Escort Program is available in the evenings.
2. Emergency phones, many marked by a blue light, are located throughout each campus and provide a direct link to Campus Safety in an emergency.
3. Campus Safety educates the campus community about preventing crime before it happens.
4. Campus Safety officers enforce school regulations and policies on campus and in the surrounding areas.
5. Campus Safety compiles crime statistics, conducts security surveys and inspects campus grounds to identify and address future security and safety needs.

Sex Crimes Prevention Act

The federal Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act was enacted in 2000. The law requires institutions of higher education to issue a statement advising the College community as to where law enforcement agency information concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained. It also requires offenders, already required by state law to register in a state, to provide notice to each institution of higher education in that state at which the person is employed, carries on a vocation or is a student.

In California, convicted sex offenders must register with their local law enforcement agencies. Commonly called Megan's Law, this law allows the public to access the registry at local law enforcement offices. It also authorizes local law enforcement to notify the public about high-risk and serious sex offenders who reside in, are employed in or frequent the community. Information about the sex offender registry may be accessed here. 

Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act

The Jeanne Clery Act, a consumer protection law passed in 1990, requires all colleges and universities who receive federal funding to share information about crime on campus and their efforts to improve campus safety as well as inform the public of crime in or around campus. This information is made publicly accessible through the university's annual security report.

Under the Act, institutions must provide survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking with options such as changes to academic, transportation, or living, or working situations, and assistance in notifying local law enforcement, if the student or employee chooses to do so. It also provides both parties in a campus disciplinary process certain rights.

Colleges and universities must outline specific policies and procedures within their annual security reports, including those related to disseminating timely warnings and emergency notifications, options for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking and campus crime reporting processes.

Timely Warning and Emergency Notifications

Timely warnings are triggered when an institution determines that a crime for which it must report statistics—such as a homicide, sex offense or robbery—presents a serious or continuing threat to students and employees.

Emergency notifications are triggered by a far broader range of potential threats—any significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees on the campus, but not the other Clery public property or non-campus areas. This could overlap and include a Clery crime such as a shooting, but it also covers crimes not reportable under Clery as well as non-criminal incidents, such as an outbreak of a communicable illness, an impending weather emergency or a gas leak. Notifications are to be issued without delay upon confirmation of the emergency by responsible authorities pre-identified by the institution in its annual Clery Act reports.

Campus Security works closely with Facilities in assessing levels of threat. Information is received from various offices/departments. If Campus Security confirms that there is an emergency or dangerous situation that poses an immediate threat to the health or safety of some or all of the College community, Campus Security will collaborate with Facilities or the necessary departments to determine the content of the message and will use the described systems to communicate the threat to the campus community or to the appropriate segment of the community if the threat is limited to a particular campus, building or segment of the population. Campus Security, without delay, will determine the content of the notification and initiate the ENS. The ENS allows authorized personnel to send messages and instructions to ArtCenter community members through landline, cellular phones, text messaging or email within minutes of a critical incident. An immediate alert will be issued to the community, unless issuing a notification will compromise the efforts to assist a victim or contain, respond to or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

ArtCenter community members are encouraged to notify Campus Security of any situation or incident on campus that involves a significant emergency or dangerous situation that may present an immediate or ongoing threat to the health and safety of students and/or employees on campus. Campus Security has the responsibility of responding to, and of requesting the necessary resources, to mitigate, investigate and document any situation that may cause a significant emergency or dangerous situation. Campus Security also has the responsibility to respond to such incidents to determine if the situation does, in fact, pose a threat to the College community. If so, federal law requires that the College notify the campus community or the appropriate people who may be affected by the situation. Campus Security’s alerts, email updates and posted bulletins help keep the campus population informed of security issues and possible situations that have arisen, such as dangerous wildlife observed on campus. In the event that a situation arises, either on or near campus, that in the judgment of the Chief of Campus Security, in consultation with the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, constitutes an ongoing or continuing threat to members of the College community, a “timely warning” notice will be issued. Members of the College community who witness or learn of a crime or other serious incident on or near campus should contact Campus Security as soon as possible. Campus Security will collaborate with administrators to issue safety alerts. Patterns of crime developing within the campus community will be reported by Campus Security to the Pasadena Police Department as soon as possible. Significant crimes or events that occur off campus may pose a concern or serious continuing threat to the College community.

Annual Security Report

ArtCenter prepares a report each year in compliance with federal law that discloses campus crime and certain security policies. The crime statistics are compiled using reports made to Campus Safety, the Pasadena Police Department, deans and other College officials. A copy of the crime statistics is filed with the U.S. Department of Education and is available online here.

The Annual Security Report is published annually in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998. If you are unable to access the online report, you may obtain a copy by contacting the Director of Environmental Health and Safety.