In seeking to understand campus safety concerns, people often wish for one number or data point that can tell them everything. But no one number can represent the myriad facets of campus violence and its analysis. Instead, it’s crucial to know what the numbers we have do and do not represent—and, therefore, how to tailor actions to best respond to and prevent violence at individual campuses. This is particularly true in addressing hate crimes.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Clery Center, and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) are pleased to announce a new resource: “Combating Hate Crimes on College and University Campuses: Essential Considerations for Public Safety Officials,” which addresses the challenges campuses face in reporting, responding to, and preventing hate crimes.

Created through a strong partnership between the three organizations, this new resource provides campus police and public safety personnel with best practices for addressing hate crimes and bias incidents. Combating Hate Crimes provides campus safety professionals with

• best practices for addressing hate crimes and bias incidents;
• guidance for identifying hate crimes;
• recommendations for enhancing communication before and after a hate crime or bias incident occurs;
• information on where hate crimes should be reported.

While it was written primarily for college and university campus police and public safety officials, the information it contains has relevance to the hate crime prevention and response efforts of all campus community members, including local, state, and federal police partners.

“There will never be one magic number that represents all the harm violence can cause to a campus community, but there is tremendous value in digging into the numbers that do exist, gleaning all the information they provide, and building a responsive violence prevention program that restores trust and safety. It is our hope,” the Clery Center says in a blog post, “that this free resource will help campuses in these endeavors.”

“Working collaboratively on this project with ADL, Clery Center, and the FBI, who provided input on UCR/NIBRS, was a great experience, and we believe the guide that was created will be very useful to campus public safety,” said Josh Bronson, IACLEA’s Director of Education and Leadership Development. He added, “Considering the steady rise in hate crimes both on and off campus, this new resource couldn’t be timelier.”

ADL Vice President David Friedman highlighted the collaborative partnership during the opening ceremonies of IACLEA’s 2021 Annual Conference and Exposition. VP Friedman spoke about the importance of partnering with campus police and public safety and creating strong partnerships to address the challenges campus communities are currently facing.

The partners worked together to clarify not only the specificity of what Clery Center hate crime data represents, but also how the nature of hate crimes requires a thoughtfulness and attentiveness from campus administration in both responding to an incident and informing the campus community about efforts taking place to prevent future occurrences and address the lasting harmful impact an incident can cause. The hope behind this endeavor is that campus public safety and other officials reading this guide walk away with a clearer understanding of the significance of messaging and language when training officers on responding to hate crime incidents, as well as when receiving a report of a hate crime from a victim or witness.

About the Contributors

ADL is a leading anti-hate organization that works closely with law enforcement to assist them in protecting communities from extremism and hate and, as a leader in the fight against hate crimes, provides expertise in community response, legislative advocacy, and inclusive school climates. Founded in 1913, ADL’s mission is to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.

Founded in 1987, Clery Center was the first nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of criminal violence at colleges and universities nationwide and continues to be the national leader today. Their mission is to work together with colleges and universities to create safer campuses through education, awareness, policy, and prevention initiatives.

The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) is the largest professional association devoted to excellence in campus public safety and policing. Its members are police chiefs, public safety directors, police officers, and security personnel at institutions of higher education across the globe. IACLEA is the leading authority for campus public safety.

Josh Bronson (IACLEA)
Laura Egan (Clery Center)
Elise Jarvis (ADL)

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