Crime Statistics & Jeanne Clery Act
In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Triton College Police Department has published this report to provide its students, prospective students, employees, and prospective employees with an overview of the college's security resources, policies and procedures, as well as crime statistics.
The Mission of the Triton College Police Department is to provide staff, students and visitors with a safe and secure environment that is conducive to the learning process. Developing a safe and secure environment in an academic institution is the responsibility of the entire campus community. Within our community, the Triton College Police Department is assigned the primary responsibility for identifying programs, methods, and approaches to assist the institution towards achieving that goal.
The department endeavors to preserve an environment where diverse social, cultural and academic values are allowed to develop and prosper. All members of the department are expected to actively participate in the achievement of these goals and in service of the college. It is only through our collective efforts that our mission will be accomplished.
Policies & Procedures
The Triton College Police Department is under task to establish and/or improve procedures for informing students and staff about security procedures and practices. The Triton College Emergency Response Guide highlights some of the situations that may require police response and assistance, and gives the user guidance with handling the initial situation and contacting the proper personnel.
A Letter from the Chief of Police is circulated throughout campus and is available in the Police Department lobby. This letter highlights the authority and services of the Triton College Police Department and encourages the prompt reporting of crimes.
Each year, the Triton College Police Department initiates an annual postcard mailing to every student and employee of the college informing them of the availability of this report in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Act. The Chief of Police takes any and all opportunities that become available to talk to students and staff about security and safety issues. Such opportunities may include, but are not limited to, in-service day training, business meetings and formal and informal gatherings.
Reporting Crimes and Emergencies
To help provide a secure and safe environment, all members of the Triton College community and visitors are expected, requested and encouraged to report any criminal activity or emergency situation. One may contact the Triton College Police Department directly at extension 3206 to file any type of report. Callers may also use the emergency house phones located throughout campus by dialing "11". All "911" or "9-911" calls from campus extensions or pay phones will be directed to the River Grove Police Department. Those calls will then be referred back the Triton College Police Department for follow-up and investigation.
Campus police are available 24 hours a day and will respond immediately to your location. Response time may be affected by various factors, such as the number and location of available personnel and/or their involvement in other more pressing activities at the time a report is received. Response to a report may also involve other personnel. This "other" personnel may include, the Office of Student Life, Counseling Center, such as in the case of a sexual assault, Safety Office and/or an outside police agency or other agencies.
Persons wishing to report crimes anonymously may do so.
Crime Prevention Programs
A representative of the Triton College Police Department is available to present crime prevention materials or talks to any student or employee group upon request. The department also offers campus crime prevention literature, free of charge, to members of the campus community. These materials can be obtained in the Police Department lobby or upon request. Finally, the Police Department will loan out an engraving pen to anyone who wishes to engrave their personal belongings (NOT Triton College property) for easier identification or recovery should the said item(s) be stolen.
Access to Campus Facilities
College facilities exist to support the institution's principal function of education, research and service. In addition to classrooms, laboratories and offices, the college has food service, recreation, athletic, administrative support, maintenance and utility facilities. The institution generally seeks to maintain open access to its facilities, but it also maintains and exercises the right to restrict access.
For example, access is restricted in certain areas due to security, safety and/or operational reasons. Also, access is restricted during times when the campus is closed, generally overnight, weekends and holidays. When the campus is closed, a campus officer will provide after-hour access with proper authorization.
In instances where a person, through his/her prior action, has demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to conduct him or herself in accordance with college policy or applicable law, that person may be "banned" from campus and denied access to all college property and facilities.
All students and employees are subject to the restrictions set forth in the Board of Trustees approved Triton College Access and Closure Policy.
Possession and Sale of Drugs & Alcohol
According to the Triton College Student Handbook: The use of alcohol at college functions is inconsistent with the institution's endorsement of the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989 (Public Law 101-226). Further the handbook cites: No person under 21 years of age nor anyone who is under the influence of alcohol or dangerous substances or who is disorderly in conduct may serve, consume or dispense alcoholic beverages.
According to the Illinois Compiled Statutes Chapter 625 ILCS 5/11-502 a and b (Transportation or Possession of Alcoholic Liquor in a Motor Vehicle): ...no driver may transport, carry, possess, or have alcoholic liquor within the passenger area of any motor vehicle upon a highway in this State except in the original container and with the seal unbroken...no passenger may carry, possess or have any alcoholic liquor within any passenger area of any motor vehicle upon a highway in this state... A driver under 21 years of age who is convicted of this violation shall receive a suspension of their driving privileges provided by paragraph 13 of subsection (a) of Section 6-206. Also, anyone under 21 years of age will be subject to the Zero Tolerence Law (625 ILCS 5/11-501.8) meaning if stopped and in possession or transporting alcoholic liquor you are subject to the Implied Consent statute and subject to a suspension of your driving privileges even though you might not be convicted in a court of law.
If a student is in possession of alcohol or drugs on campus, they will be subject to arrest and prosecution, and will also be subject to school disciplinary action.
The Triton College Police Department enforces State Laws and College Rules and Regulations regarding drugs and alcohol. We have a zero-tolerance philosophy.
Please be responsible and Say No to Drugs and Alcohol!
Drug- and Alcohol-Abuse Education Programs
Periodically, the counseling department or the student government offers workshops and/or seminars dealing with issues of drug and alcohol prevention. Also, throughout the year, Triton counselors can provide individual referrals and assistance to students. In certain situations, students in need may be referred to the Student Assistance Program for one-on-one confidential counseling.
Employees who need assistance may use the services of the Employee Assistance Program through Triton's Human Resources Department. Again, these services are individually tailored and confidential.
Sex Offender Registration Information
The Illinois State Police maintains a database of all registered sex offenders in Illinois that you can access using the web. To learn the identity of registered sex offenders on or near campus, or anywhere in Illinois, visit the Sex Offender Database. Once there, you can search by city, county or ZIP code. Our main campus is in River Grove (2000 N. 5th Ave., River Grove, IL 60171).
To locate offender addresses in relation to the campus you can use mapquest.com to identify surrounding streets.
The Triton College Police Department maintains a file on registered sex offenders who have disclosed that they are a student or staff member at Triton College. Any employee, student, prospective employee, prospective student or interested college community member may request to see a specific file. One must make an appointment with the Chief of Police or his/her designee, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., not on holidays, to view a specific file.
The "Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act" (section 1601 of Public Law 106-386) is a federal law enacted on Oct. 28, 2000, that provides for the tracking of convicted, registered sex offenders enrolled as students at institutions of higher education, or working or volunteering on campus. It was sponsored by U.S. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona and supported by Security On Campus Inc.
The Act amends the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act to require sex offenders already required to register in a state to provide notice, as required under state law, of each institution of higher education in that state at which the person is employed, carries on a vocation or is a student. The law requires that state procedures ensure that this registration information is promptly made available to law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction where the institutions of higher education are located and that it is entered into appropriate state records or data systems. These changes took effect Oct. 28, 2002. These requirements are tied to state eligibility for certain types of federal grant funding and must be implemented through state law.
It also amends the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act to require institutions of higher education to issue a statement, in addition to other disclosures required under that Act, advising the campus community where law enforcement agency information provided by a state concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained. These changes took effect Oct. 28, 2002, and this notice became a requirement beginning with the annual security report due Oct. 1, 2003.
Lastly, the Act amends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 to clarify that nothing in that Act may be construed to prohibit an educational institution from disclosing information provided to the institution concerning registered sex offenders; and requires the Secretary of Education to take appropriate steps to notify educational institutions that disclosure of this information is permitted. This amendment took effect on Oct. 28, 2000.
Monitoring Off-Campus Criminal Activity
The Triton College Police Department monitors criminal activity occurring in and around the immediate area of Triton's main campus with the assistance of the River Grove Police Department to inquire about criminal activity at that location.
Also, should an incident occur off campus involving members of the Triton community, at a college sponsored event, the offending member(s) of the campus community could face both external criminal charges from the agency having jurisdiction and judicial sanction(s) through the college's disciplinary system.
Timely Warning Reports
The Triton College Police Department will put out timely warnings to students and staff for severe weather warnings and closures and other crises. The Department will issue notifications via the Connect Ed system that everyone has opted in by being a student or staff member at Triton College. Other times the Police Department will broadcast warnings via the PA System that has installed throughout every building on campus.
Also, Triton College has the Thor Guard System. This system alerts the College of pending lightning activity within a 25 mile radius of the campus. If you hear a long siren sound, that means the air is conducive to lightning. Go inside a building or your vehicle for your protection. If you hear three short siren sounds then an 'all-clear' has been presented to you by the Thor Guard System.
For further information contact the Triton College Police Department at Ext. 3206 or (708) 456-6911.
Preparation of Annual Disclosure of Crime Statistics
According to the Jeanne Clery Act the Triton College Police Department must gather all pertinent crime information for this report. Our Records Department gathers all the monthly reports from the previous year and breaks them down into certain crime criteria designated by the Act. This information is passed on the the Deputy Chief of Police where it is reviewed. It is then downloaded into the system for review by the federal government and it is then placed onto a website for the general public to review.
Also, letters go out to the River Grove and Melrose Park Police Departments asking them for the statistics of any crime reporting that borders our two campus. This too is reviewed, once received, and then downloaded into the system.
This process starts in August of every year and must be completed in the month of October.
Finally, our Records Department sends a post card to all residents in District #504 reporting that if they want to see our statistics they would be ready for their review during normal business hours.