The Clery Report and why NGU has a low crime rate
C.J. Eldridge, News & Features Editor
Relationship and trust building has been the name of the game for North Greenville University’s campus police chief Jeff Smith–and this reflects in the university’s Clery Report.
This unification and urge to be seen as a part of the North Greenville community is the reason behind low Clery Report numbers, Smith believes. The Clery Report is published annually and shows the crime rate on campus.
Once Smith became chief of campus security in 2022, he extended his hand and built a relationship with Campus Ministry and Student Engagement. Campus police will refer people who get caught with minor offenses–for example, alcohol and small amounts of marijuana–to them for disciplinary action.
One of the statistics discussed in the Clery Report is referral for disciplinary action. This is where campus police have written up a report and sent it on to CMSE instead of, for example, calling the sheriff’s office and sending someone to jail.
This will mark students as “not in good standing” or put them on disciplinary probation with consequences such as loss of driving privileges.
In 2022, there were four referrals for liquor law violations, three for drug law violations and three for weapons law violations. These are instances where students got caught with a bottle of alcohol, some marijuana or a knife larger than four inches respectively.
But Smith doesn’t just want people to see the officers as rule enforcers. He wants them out doing foot patrols and building relationships with students, faculty and administration. His goal is to tear down walls that he believes have previously been up.
“We have such a focus on community–not just within our department but overall from top down,” Smith said.
They are no longer assigning three or four officers to one soccer game for instance. They want to be seen but not appear overwhelming to anyone.
He said, “I think that sends a negative connotation in a way. I want officers to be approachable. I want people to know we want to partner with them.”
All of this and having a faith-based campus, Smith explained, contributes to NGU’s low crime numbers. There comes a time, of course, where action has to be taken based on the severity of an incident.
There was one instance of dating violence in 2022. Smith’s example of this is a boyfriend and girlfriend getting into an argument on campus and someone feels threatened. A lot of times these can be heated verbal confrontations.
There were two weapons law arrests as well. One of these was a student and one was a non-student on campus. Smith was able to discuss the non-student incident.
Multiple weapons were found in a vehicle near campus. A documented gang member was pulled over around Crusader Court, claiming he was there to visit a girl. One of the officers shined his flashlight at the man and saw that he had a firearm under his leg.
“But I don’t know of any girls that stay on Crusader Court,” Smith said. “I think he was probably there to sell some weed.”
They also found marijuana in his vehicle.
Lastly, there was one count of fondling. This is a form of third-degree sexual assault where someone was groped over their clothes.
If students need to report a crime or suspicious activity on campus, they can do so via LiveSafe. There is an easily found tab on the app where you can submit a report and explain what you saw.
“Trust and legitimacy–you have to have that,” Smith said. “If I go out here as the chief, and I hope I never do, and have to arrest somebody or put somebody in cuffs or write a ticket, if I have a relationship with that person and I still have a job to do, it’s nothing personal. But if he trusts me or he trusts my department . . . I think that tends to be accepted more.”
The 2023 Clery Report will be released around Oct. 1 2024. You can view the 2022 report at this link. Statistics begin on page 56.
