Annual Clery Report documents five forcible sex offenses at USD in three-year period
Five confirmed forcible sex offenses have been reported on the campus of USD from 2012 to 2014, according to data released in the 2015-2016 Clery Report on Thursday.
The Clery Report is an annual report mandated by the federal government under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1990. The report contains statistics on reported crimes which have happened on campuses. Every year the report must be publicly released by Oct. 1.
Statistics in this year’s report of crimes that happened on USD’s campus in 2014 include one case of fondling, one case of arson, two cases of stalking and one case of dating violence. There were also 361 disciplinary referrals for “liquor law violations” and 56 arrests for alcohol violations.
In addtion to releasing crime statistics, the Clery Act also requires universities to provide a timely notification or warning to students in the event of a campus-wide emergency.
The South Dakota Board of Regents uses the Everbridge alert system, which every student is automatically entered into. In the event of an emergency or a “situation that constitutes a threat to the campus community,” emails and text message alerts are sent to students.
On Wednesday, USD students recieved a campus-wide alert about two reported sexual assaults in Vermillion. Included in a separate email, the university’s Media Relations Department sent photos of three “persons of interest” in the investigations to students. At the time the emails were sent, Tena Haraldson, director of communications for USD, said she was unsure if there was an imminent threat to campus.
“The people who are alleged to have done this are not arrested and they are not USD students. People are going to have to come to their own conclusion,” she said.
The Vermillion Police Department later released a statement saying there was not a threat to the community.
In a press conference Thursday morning, VPD Captain Chad Passick said that USD was not notified about the reported sexual assualts until Wednesday morning because a threat to the community was not percieved.
“We are comfortable with our investigation and feel the community is not in any more danger than they were a week ago,” he said
No arrests have been made and the investigation regarding the two reported sexual assaults is ongoing. The persons of interests have been contacted by VPD.
