What is my responsibility as a CSA?

CSA’s are encouraged to report all crimes reported to them, on a timely basis, to the University of Houston Police Department (UHPD). However, under the Clery Act, CSA’s are only obligated to report, Clery Act qualifying crimes which occurred on campus, in public areas bordering campus and in certain non-campus buildings owned or controlled (leased) by the University. CSA’s should only report those crimes that have not been previously reported to University Police or another University CSA. The intent of including non-law enforcement personnel in the CSA role is to acknowledge that some community members and students in particular, may be hesitant about reporting crimes to the police, but may be more inclined to report incidents to other campus-affiliated individuals.

CSA Crime Reporting

When a crime is reported to a CSA, first ask the person if they would like to report it to the UHPD. If so, contact UHPD at (713) 743-3333. If not, for Clery Act qualifying crimes, the CSA must complete and submit, on a timely basis, a Campus Security Authority Crime Report Form. The Report Form can be submitted to UHPD via email to uhdpscsa@central.uh.edu, or via postal mail or in person at the Police building, 4051 Wheeler Avenue Houston, Texas 77204-6191.

If the reported crime is made in good faith, meaning that there is reasonable basis for believing that the information is not rumor or hearsay, then the crime is Clery reportable. CSA’s, when interacting with the crime reporting party, need to gather incident information that would provide sufficient detail to properly classify the incident. This means CSA’s need to document reporting party responses or lack thereof. Reporting party identifying information should only be included in the Report Form if the reporting party is willing to provide same. CSA’s should not investigate the crime or attempt to determine whether a crime, in fact, took place. When in doubt, a Report Form should be completed and submitted!

What is done with CSA Report Forms?

UHPD reviews CSA Report forms and makes a determination if an incident warrants timely warning / emergency notification of the University community and whether it is a reportable crime in the Annual Security Report. The Clery Act Coordinator will consolidate crime data from multiple sources, report qualifying crime data to the federal Department of Education, publish the Annual Security Report and inform the campus community when and where those reports are available. The University of Houston Annual Security Report is published here. Hard copies are available upon request.

Crime / Emergency and Non-Emergency Reporting

Regardless of your status (CSA or non-CSA), all community members are encouraged to promptly report all campus related criminal incidents and other public safety related emergencies to UHPD. For incidents requiring immediate attention, dial 911 or use one of the “Blue Light” Police Emergency Phones (call boxes) located throughout campus. Non-emergency incidents can be reported by dialing 3-3333 from any campus phone or in person at the Police building, 4051 Wheeler Avenue Houston, Texas 77204-6191.