Campus Security Authorities

A Campus Security Authority (CSA) is an individual, who by virtue of their university responsibilities and under the Clery Act, is designated to receive and report criminal incidents to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) or the Office of Clery Act Compliance so that they may be included and published in the university’s Annual Security Report.  

Who They Are

DPS officers are CSAs, but because not all individuals will report to police, the Clery Act requires the university to designate additional individuals with specific responsibilities for campus safety and activities as CSAs. Some examples of CSAs, among others, includes, a dean of students who oversees student housing, a student center or student extracurricular activities; director of athletics, all athletic coaches (including part-time employees and graduate assistants); a faculty advisor to a student group; a student resident advisor or assistant; a student who monitors access to dormitories or buildings that are owned by recognized student organizations; a coordinator of Greek affairs; a Title IX coordinator; and the director of a campus health or counseling center.

The Clery Act defines a CSA as any of the following categories:

1. A campus police department or a campus security department of an institution, e.g. any member of USC’s Department of Public Safety.
2. Any individuals who have responsibility for campus security but are not members of a campus police department or a campus security department (e.g., an individual who is responsible for monitoring the entrance into the institutional property, such as a security guard).
3. Any individual or organization specified in an institution’s statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which students and employees should report criminal offense; or
4. An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline and campus judicial proceedings.

What They Do

A CSA must notify DPS or the Office of Clery Act Compliance of crimes or criminal incidents that are reported to him or her. They disclose statistics that fall under the Clery Act’s list of reportable crimes and occur within Clery geography.

If a CSA is notified of a crime in progress or an ongoing threat to the USC campus community, they will contact the Department of Public Safety for assistance.

Confidential Crime Reporting

Occasionally, a person may want to seek assistance anonymously. Certain positions and offices at USC are not CSAs, so the Clery Act reporting requirements do not apply to them. Those positions include:

1. Professional Counselors: A person whose official responsibility includes providing mental health counseling to members of USC’s community and who is acting within the scope of the counselor’s license or certification. This definition applies even to professional counselors who are not USC employees but are under contract to provide counseling at the university.
2. Pastoral Counselors: A person who is associated with a religious order or denomination, is recognized by that religious order as someone who provides confidential counseling and is acting within the scope of that recognition as a pastoral counselor.