Campus Safety

Administrative Procedure 3.701

Elgin Community College (ECC) encourages student and employee crime awareness and will comply with the Illinois Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 according to the following procedures.

Report criminal actions or other emergencies occurring on the Main Campus according to the following procedures:

  1. The campus, for purposes of this procedure, is defined as any building or property owned or controlled by Elgin Community College within the designated area and used by the institution in direct support of or related to its educational purposes.

    The Elgin Community College Police Department will be responsible for safety and security on campus during business hours. Students and employees will be responsible for their own security and the security of others while on campus. Crime prevention is a shared responsibility between the College and the campus community. All crimes, suspicious activities, or other emergencies should be reported to the ECC Police Department by calling 7777 or 911, depending upon the severity of the emergency reported. The College switchboard operator will immediately contact ECC Police and/or the Elgin Police Department

  2. When an incident is reported to ECC Police, a concerted effort will be made to:
    1. Assist the victim
    2. Identify the offender and/or physical hazard
    3. Address the problem
    4. Contact the appropriate law enforcement authority, if necessary
    5. Issue timely notice warnings when applicable
    6. Complete an Elgin Community College Incident Report that shall include:
      1. the name of the reporting person,
      2. date of birth,
      3. time,
      4. nature of the incident
      5. location of occurrence
      6. any inquiries
      7. any witnesses (name, address, D.O.B., telephone number), and
      8. a brief description of the incident
      9. if a perpetrator is involved the report should include a description if available.
  3. The ECC Police, after preparing or receiving a written report of a crime or arrest, will notify each of the following individuals:
    1. College President, if applicable
    2. Executive Director of Communications, if applicable
    3. Dean of Student Services and Success, if applicable
    4. Chief Human Resources Officer, if applicable
    5. Director of Operations and Maintenance, if applicable.

A copy of the report will be forwarded to the College President for planning and evaluation. This provision is necessary to keep all students and employees informed about campus crimes and arrests as they may occur throughout the calendar year. In addition, these offices must exchange campus crime and arrest information with each other and report such activity to the College President upon receipt. The Chief of Police will deliver a copy of the compiled data to the College President for compliance with this act on an annual basis.

  1. When multiple reports/requests for services are received at the same time, those reports/requests will be prioritized and handled as follows:
    1. Campus murder, criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual abuse, robbery, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, burglary, motor theft, liquor law violations and drug abuse violations. (See definitions of Crimes, this text)
    2. The ECC Police will complete and maintain dispatch cards/reports to record the incidents, assist in the investigation and report all criminal incidents which lead to an arrest.
    3. Any such reported crimes or arrests will be duly reviewed by ECC Police to determine if the criminal act should be communicated to students and employees via the Communications Office various communication channels.

The ECC Police Department is located in Building D, Room D140.

Emergency telephone numbers:

Campus - Main Switchboard Operator - 7777
Elgin Police Department - 911
Elgin Police Department (from pay phone) - 911

Procedures concerning security and access to campus facilities:

ECC Police personnel will conduct regular vehicle and foot patrol of all buildings and grounds during business hours. Doors will be locked during non-business hours. Keys and/or proximity cards will be issued to authorized employees needing access to buildings during non-business hours, subject to the Campus Security Act (ILCS 110 12/1.)

During business hours all exterior locations will be well lighted. Prompt maintenance of the outdoor campus lighting system will be required. Landscape planning will consider pedestrian and vehicle safety.

Business and Operation Hours

Monday – Friday: All buildings are open 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. during the academic year when school is in session, with the exception of Buildings E (based on scheduled events).

Saturday: Buildings are open from 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with the exception of Buildings E, H and J which are open based on scheduled contractual events.

Sunday: All buildings are closed with the exception of Buildings E, H and J which are open based on scheduled contractual events.

Procedures concerning campus law enforcement and Campus Safety personnel including the working relationship with the Elgin Police Department and appropriate law enforcement agencies:

  1. The Elgin Police Department has agreed to cooperate with the College to make statistical data available on reported crimes. Weekly reports of any campus arrests or crimes will be provided to the College by the Elgin Police Department.
  2. ECC Police will provide security on a daily basis during regular business and operation hours. Security for approved after-hours functions must be purchased on an hourly basis by the requesting college official or organizations.
  3. All Campus Safety services are in cooperation with other College departments, students and local officials.

The ECC Police Department is comprised of Police Officers who are sworn law enforcement officers having the power of arrest as stated in ILCS 110 805/3-42.1. All ECC Police Officers are certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board as required by the Illinois Police Training Act (50 ILCS 705/1 et seq.).

The ECC Police Department may also employ Campus Safety Officers who are uniformed civilian personnel having no power of arrest and will be unarmed. A request for assistance will be made to the Elgin Police Department on all felony criminal matters at the discretion of the Chief of the ECC Police Department.

The ECC Police Department will give full cooperation wherever and whenever possible to all police agencies in investigations.

Informational programs designed to inform students and employees about campus safety and security and their responsibility for their own safety and security and the safety and security of others:

  1. The College will notify staff and students about security procedures through various communication channels.
  2. Crime awareness orientations for students and staff will be conducted at appropriate times throughout the year.
  3. Safety and security information will be posted in each classroom and next to both public and campus telephones located throughout the campus buildings.
  4. Students and employees will be responsible to take necessary preventive steps to minimize any exposure to criminal elements.

Prevention programs implemented to inform students and employees about the prevention of crimes:

  1. Basic student safety tips for crime prevention will be available during student and employee orientation and will be published in the student handbook and other communication outlets, if applicable.
  2. The ECC Police Department will obtain appropriate published law enforcement information on crime prevention to educate students and staff.

Gathering statistics concerning the occurrence of certain crimes on campus, which have been reported to ECC Police or Elgin Police Department will adhere to the following guidelines:

  1. . The ECC Police Department will annually provide available data in the Annual Security Report for the most recent school year and the two preceding school years, regarding any of the following incidents occurring on campus in compliance with the Clery Act: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft arson, hate crimes, liquor law violations, drug abuse violations and weapons possessions which occurred on campus.
  2. . The definition of these crimes will be based on the FBI's Uniform Crime Report (UCR).
  3. The following crimes or occurrences will be collected as follows:
    1. MURDER - the willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.
    2. RAPE - the carnal knowledge of a person forcibly and/or against that person's will, or not forcibly or against that person's will where the victim is incapable
    3. ROBBERY - the taking, or attempting to take, anything of value under confrontational circumstances from the care, custody or control of another person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear of immediate harm.
    4. AGGRAVATED ASSAULT - an unlawful attack by one person upon another wherein the offender uses a weapon or displays it in a threatening manner, or the victim suffers obvious severe or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness.Note that an unsuccessful attempt to commit murder would be classified as an aggravated assault.
    5. BURGLARY - (breaking and entering) - the unlawful entry into a building or other structure with the intent to commit a felony or a theft. Note that forced entry is not a required element of the offense; so long as the entry is unlawful (constituting a trespass) it may be accomplished via an unlocked door or window. Included are unsuccessful attempts where force is employed, or where a perpetrator is frightened off while entering an unlocked door or climbing through an open window.
    6. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT - the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.
    7. ARSON - Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.
    8. HATE CRIMES – Crimes that manifest evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the victim’s actual or perceived race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin or disability.
  4. The reporting of a crime will be made when the ECC Police or Elgin Police Department has been contacted.
  5. An arrest has occurred when ECC Police, Elgin Police or appropriate authority detains an individual with the intention of filing charges against the individual for specific offense(s) and a report is made of the detention.
  6. These statistics will be published in the student handbook, in the course catalog, student newspaper and other communication outlets if applicable.
  7. The report on campus crime will be disseminated to students, employees and other interested persons.
  8. Copies of this report will be retained in the offices of ECC Police, Student Services, and Employee Services for distribution purposes and given to new students and employees as well as current employees and students.

A statement of procedure concerning the monitoring of criminal activity at off-campus student organizations:

Elgin Community College does not recognize off-campus student organizations and therefore has no procedure for monitoring the activity of such organizations.

Statistics concerning the number of arrests on campus for liquor law violations, drug abuse violations and weapons possession will be reported:

  1. LIQUOR LAW VIOLATIONS - violations of laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession or use of alcoholic beverages (with the exception of "driving under the influence" or "drunkenness.")
  2. DRUG ABUSE VIOLATIONS - violations of laws prohibiting the production, distribution, and/or use of certain controlled substances and the equipment or devices utilized in their preparation or use.
  3. WEAPONS POSSESSION - violations of laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession, concealment, or use of firearms, cutting instruments, incendiary devices, or other deadly weapons.
  4. In the event criminal activity must be reported immediately due to the nature of the incident and danger to employees and students, the ECC Chief of Police will notify the President and Executive Director of Communications and schedule a meeting to determine the need and extent of immediate and massive disclosure to warn students and employees of such criminal activity before safety measures are taken.

Statement of procedure for informational programs and reporting of criminal sexual assault will be offered to educate students and staff as follows:

  1. Education programs to promote awareness of rape, acquaintance rape and other sex offenses.
  2. Possible sanctions to be imposed following the final determination of an on-campus disciplinary procedure regarding rape, acquaintance rape, or other sex offenses, forcible or non-forcible.
    1. The accuser and the accused are entitled to the same opportunities to have others present during a campus disciplinary proceeding; and
    2. Both the accuser and the accused shall be informed of the outcome of any campus disciplinary proceeding brought alleging a sexual assault