Comparing the Practices and Policies of Sworn and Non-Sworn Campus Police Departments within the Context of the Campus Security Act of 1990

Abstract

During the past two decades the occurrence of crime at institutions of higher education has received considerable attention. In 1990, the United States Congress enacted the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act (hereafter referred to as the Act). The Act requires post-secondary institutions to develop and promulgate an annual report listing campus crime data and describing policies and practices that have been enacted to deal with and prevent campus crimes. This paper examines the extent to which sworn campus police agencies and non-sworn security departments differ with regard to policies and practices linked to provisions of the Act. Base upon a nationwide survey comparisons are made between sworn police agencies and security departments employing only non-sworn officers. Baseline data are analyzed for future comparative research.