Safety and Security introduced follow-up alerts this term at the suggestion of Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson, providing campus with additional information when available, the department's response to incidents and calls for tips.
The policy change was implemented after campus received report of a sexual assault on Sept. 21 near Novack Cafe. After the initial email, sent out the same day that the assault occurred, Kinne provided an update on the case the next day and another three days later.
Kinne said the follow-up procedure has received positive feedback.
"When I put out a notice oftentimes I'll get a lot of responses from people, and I think the second notice addresses a lot of these questions," he said. "One of the things we had happen with the information [in the Oct. 6 alert] is that a lot of students have contacted us and provided us with information, which is extraordinarily helpful."
Safety and Security has been emailing incident reports to campus "for a very long time," Kinne said. In compliance with Clery Act requirements, the College sends out timely alerts when a perpetrator has not been identified or represents an ongoing threat to the community, as was the case in the reported incidents, College spokesperson Justin Anderson said. The alerts are also intended to prevent false information from circulating, Kinne added. If the perpetrator of a reported sexual assault is contacted after the report, a campus safety alert may no longer be necessary, in contrast to situations where a perpetrator has neither been identified nor located.
Alerts have been noticeably more frequent in recent months. Over senior week, Kinne notified campus of a threat regarding Commencement on Bored at Baker, the death of an Upper Valley resident that may have involved tainted heroin and an armed robbery at CVS Pharmacy. Earlier in the spring, community members received emails regarding a report of theft and inappropriate contact by a student, and Hanover Police's arrest of Parker Gilbert '16, who will stand trial on four counts of sexual assault later this year.
Campus saw fewer emails from Safety and Security in 2012, when the College received 24 reports of forcible sex offenses, 16 reported burglaries and 16 liquor law arrests, according to the latest Clery Act filings. Per Clery Act standards, the number of reported incidents may include anonymous reports and reports for assaults that occurred in previous years.
The College's notification policy is similar to those across the Ivy League.
Cornell University police chief Kathy Zoner said in an email that the university considers whether the assailant is still at large, if another attack is likely and whether the crime can be documented in Clery reports. The Clery Act seeks to notify members of the community of potential danger, rather than the reporting of a crime in and of itself, she said.
"We send advisories out for all crimes that meet the criteria for imminent or ongoing threat," Zoner said. "That includes sexual assault."
Last year, Cornell provided campus alerts for five instances of assault and harassment, according to the its police department website. Clery Act statistics show a total of nine forcible sexual assaults on campus.
Desmond Fambrini '16 said he was pleased with the increased alerts from Safety and Security.
"I think it's important that they continue with the updates, and I think it's important that they send out multiple emails if there was a new discovery made in the case," he said.
The College is currently under investigation for violations of the Clery Act after a complaint was filed by students in May, which alleges that Dartmouth violated statutes that involve crime reporting, crime alerts and a hostile campus climate toward LGBT students and minorities. This investigation has not affected the number of sexual assault notifications, Kinne said. The Education Department initiated a compliance review of the College for Title IX violations in July.
