[Vision2020] U.S. Fines WSU for Campus Safety

[Ron Force]

It doesn't sound like the WSU police were primarily at fault. Re: "record manager, and failure to distribute information = campus bureaucracy,
From the Daily Snooze:
"Findings
The first incident stemmed from an 
Aug. 31, 2007, call to campus police that was incorrectly labeled as a 
"domestic dispute" and never corrected even though investigators found 
the case may have included a rape. The victim reportedly submitted a 
written statement that said a friend of her husband had sexually 
assaulted her. 
Darin Watkins, WSU's executive 
director of external relations, said investigators looked into the issue at the time and determined that the case was unfounded.
"But we never updated it from being domestic violence to a rape case," Watkins said.
The second incident involved a Jan. 27, 2007, police report of sexual assault in a dormitory. The report 
was labeled as "unfounded" by a records manager after the victim decided not to provide substantiating information to police. 
The records manager had no 
authority to label the case unfounded, however, and that action caused 
the case to be removed from campus crime statistics. 
Both cases were part of one finding filed against WSU.
Another finding said the university did not follow every federal rule concerning its annual security 
report, which the federal government requires universities to distribute to all students and employees each fall. Federal officials found WSU 
did not include information about its counseling services, its policy on disclosure of crime statistics and information on sanctions the 
university may impose for sexual offenses. 
The law calls for fines of up to $27,500 for each violation" 
 
Ron Force
Moscow Idaho USA


________________________________
From: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
To: Saundra Lund <v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm>
Cc: Moscow Vision 2020 <Vision2020 at moscow.com>; Jeanne McHale <jeannemchale at hotmail.com>
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2011 5:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] U.S. Fines WSU for Campus Safety


The impression I received after browsing and lightly researching the WSU Police site (a while ago - I forget when) was/is that they are a "home-grown" security force with no ties to the Pullman Police Department nor any other law enforcement agency.

http://police.wsu.edu/

And one other thing . . .

I could not find any indication or explanation related to training required to become a WSU police officer.  Did you?

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown


On Aug 19, 2011, at 17:32, "Saundra Lund" <v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm> wrote:


Tom,  I thought WSU police officers were regular professional officers?  Looking at the Web site, that seems to still be the case:
>http://safetyplan.wsu.edu/police
> 
>The WSU Police Department consists of 17 commissioned officers: 
>One Chief
>One Lieutenant
>Three Sergeants 
>Three Corporals
>Nine Officers
>These officers possess the same enforcement and arrest powers as any police officer commissioned in the State of Washington.
>WSU Police are on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing police services by vehicle, bicycle, and on foot. The department enjoys a close working relationship with the City of Pullman Police Department, as well as other local agencies including the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol. WSU Police also work closely with the Quad Cities Drug Task Force and the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
>For more information on the WSU Police Department, click here.
>WSU Police are tasked with preventing and responding to violence and other campus emergencies as well as a full range of law enforcement services on WSU property and to the university community. They also patrol designated adjacent areas on College Hill by authorization of the City of Pullman Police Chief. WSU Police are activated through local dispatch by contacting 9-1-1. For non-emergency services, call 509-335-8548.
> 
>Or, am I misunderstanding the information on the Web site?  And, if I’m misunderstanding, who does WSU contract with to provide services?
> 
> 
>Saundra Lund
>Moscow, ID
> 
>The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.
>~ Edmund Burke
> 
> 
>From:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Tom Hansen
>Sent: Friday, August 19, 2011 4:42 PM
>To: Moscow Vision 2020
>Cc: Jeanne McHale
>Subject: [Vision2020] U.S. Fines WSU for Campus Safety
> 
>This is what happens when your campus relies on untrained rent-a-cop security and the administration that supports it.
> 
>Courtesy of KHQ at:
> 
>http://www.khq.com/story/15298964/us-fines-wsu-for-campus-safety
> 
>------------------------------
>U.S. fines WSU for campus safety
>SEATTLE (AP) - Federal education officials are fining Washington State University $82,500 for failing to properly report two campus rapes in 2007.  The university told The Associated Press it will appeal the fine, which is being announced by the U.S. Department of Education on Friday.
>The fine comes more than five months after federal education officials completed an investigation of WSU's campus crime statistics.  The government acknowledged in a report sent to WSU President Elson Floyd in March the university has made improvements to its crime reporting since the incidents. But the report says those corrective measures do not diminish the seriousness of the violations.
>WSU was one of several universities found in violation of the Clery Act this year. The federal law requires campus notification of potential threats to students and employees.
>------------------------------
>Seeya round town, Moscow.
> 
>Tom Hansen
>Moscow, Idaho
> 
>"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change and the Realist adjusts his sails."
> 
>- Unknown
> 
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