The Crimson

The only student-run newspaper at Florida Tech.

You are here: Home / Archives for crime

crime

Security department makes changes to address Clery Act issues

by 1 Comment

Brianna Forté | Copy Editor

In an effort to meet the compliance requirements of the Clery Act, Florida Tech has introduced new policies and the security department has undergone additional training.

The title page to Florida Tech’s 2020 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. Image: Florida Tech

According to the Clery Center, the Clery Act is a consumer protection law that requires all colleges and universities to submit an Annual Security Report on Oct. 1, “to provide transparency around campus crime policy and statistics.”

In an email sent out to the Florida Tech community on Jan. 13, 2020, President T. Dwayne McCay stated that various errors in the Florida Tech ASR from the years 2016-2018 included 53 instances of under-reported cases and 115 instances of over-reported cases.

The Florida Tech 2020 ASR was published on Dec. 18 instead of Oct. 1 in response to a delay announced by the Department of Education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report can be accessed here, or a copy can be obtained at Florida Tech’s Department of Security’s office located on the first floor of Shaw Hall. 

Compared to the 2019 ASR, the 2020 ASR contained an additional 27 pages in the report. Previous reports featured two sections, the “Campus Safety and Crimes Statistics” and “Annual Fire Safety Report.” The 2020 report includes two new sections, “Violence Against Women Act Policy Statements” and “Drug, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse Policy Statement.” 

The VAWA section of the report includes information on the university’s educational programs to promote the awareness of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking and the procedures and services available that students and employees should follow in the event they do become a victim of one of these offenses. This section on page 51 of the report also includes a fully fleshed-out process for following Title IX procedures. 

The Drug, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse Policy Statement section of the report consists of a page stating Florida Tech’s commitment to creating and maintaining an environment free of alcohol abuse, the university follows federal and state drug laws, and includes a link to the university’s drug and alcohol policy which can be found here. This section also states that in compliance with the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act, the school has a drug and alcohol abuse and prevention program.

Frank Iannone, Director of Security and Clery Compliance Coordinator at Florida Tech, stated that the 2020 report included much more additional information when it came to Title IX, the Drug Free Schools and Community Act, and Student Compliance and Student Conduct.

“Those were major additions, whether it was just increased information or categories that were not accurately disclosed or covered in previous reports,” Iannone said. 

Among those changes are an increase in the number of offenses reported for the year 2018 for the total number of dating violence offenses, the total number of drug law violations, and the total number of alcohol violations from the 2019 to the 2020 ASR.

Changes in statistics: In the updated 2019 report, the total number of dating violence offenses was 2, the total number of drug law violations was 14, and the total number of alcohol violations was 75 for the year 2018. In the 2020 report, the total number of dating violence offenses was 3, the total number of drug law violations was 24, and the total number of alcohol violations was 114 for the year 2018.

“Once an institution is made aware of Clery Act reporting errors, they are expected to make corrections the next time they publish the data,” Daniel Carter, the President of Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses, said. “If the numbers for the same year increased this would be consistent with the reporting gaps previously reported by the Crimson.”

Iannone stated that the statistics in the final 2020 security report are the most accurate up-to-date statistics. 

While the annual security report for Florida Tech has implemented new procedures and included more information, the security department has also undergone additional education and training.

This past year Iannone attended additional Clery classes and is on track to become a certified Clery Compliance Officer by the summer of 2021. 

“It was something that I saw was necessary to really do the job accurately,” Iannone explained.

While Iannone is working towards ensuring he has the information necessary for Florida Tech to be compliant with Clery law, he has also introduced additional methods of review.

“About a year ago now, I established a Clery Compliance Committee which meets biannually to review all of the policy statements,” Iannone said.

Security Sergeant and Title IX Investigator Bonnie Rinck completed the Clery Compliance Academy offered through the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals in January of 2021.

Rinck stated that she wanted to learn more about the Clery act, as well as “how the crime stats are counted and what exactly the Clery crimes consist of for the annual security report.”

Rinck explained that after completing the course, she has a better understanding of the annual security report she reviews.

“It gives the school two sets of eyes,” ensuring that, “the statistics under review are accurate for the annual security report,” Rinck said.

Iannone said he believes there is still much to improve upon moving forward, and hopes that in the 2021 report these changes will make the report more clear and the statistics more readable.  

“Our entire goal here is really to be the model going forward for any university as far as it comes to Clery,” Iannone stated.

Florida Tech fails to acknowledge reports of rape required under federal law

by 21 Comments

By: Emily Walker, Olivia McKelvey, Kevin Boodoosingh

Florida Tech failed to acknowledge multiple reports of rape within the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports under the Clery Act.




  • The Campus Crime Statistics lists zero sex offenses have occurred in the in the past three years. If there have been cases of sexual assaults that were not included in the crime statistics, then that is a violation of the Clery Act. 

Two students have come forward with accounts of rape and how they reported their cases through Title IX and Security.

Their cases did not appear on the Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports, which is in violation of the Clery Act.

What is the Clery Act:

In 1986, Jeanne Clery, a student at Lehigh University, was raped and murdered in her residence hall.

Four years later, the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 was established in order to create accountability for reporting violent crimes and providing transparency on campus crime statistics.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act—the Clery Act— is a federal law requiring United States colleges and universities to disclose information about crime on and around campuses.

Due to the fact that Florida Tech receives federal funding, it is required to publish an annual security report for both students and employees every Oct. 1.

What is included within the Clery report:

Florida Tech’s Office of Safety and Security prepares an annual report in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies such as Melbourne Police Department, Palm Bay Police Department and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Other university departments also work in collaboration with compiling crime reports and statistics such as the Title IX office.

The report is required to include data from the past three years on the following crimes:

  • Criminal homicides such as murder and non-negligent manslaughter and negligent manslaughter
  • Sex offenses such as rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape
  • Arrests and judicial referrals for liquor law violations, drug abuse violations and weapons law violations
  • The “other” category, which includes robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson
  • The Violence Against Women’s Act—VAWA—is an amendment within Clery that expands the rights to campus survivors of sexual assault and includes the following crimes:
    • domestic violence
    • dating violence
    • stalking
  • Hate crimes, which include offense definitions relating to hate/bias-related crime, larceny, simple assault, intimidation and destruction/damage/vandalism of property

Clery cites that the following individuals on campus are Campus Security Authorities—also known as mandated reporters— a term created by the Clery Act that encompasses groups of individuals and organizations at Florida Tech:

  • Dean of Students
  • Director of Security
  • Security Department
  • Title IX Coordinator
  • Senior Vice President for Academic Administration
  • Chief of Staff
  • Athletics Director
  • Athletic Coaches
  • Office of Student Life
  • Director of Student Housing
  • Other Campus Security Authorities that have a “significant responsibility for student and campus activities.”

Clery geography:

Another factor Clery examines when categorizing data is geographical location of a specific crime.

Clery includes both on-campus and non-campus locations within the report.

An on-campus location is defined as any building or property owned or controlled by an institution, such as an academic building or dorm.

Non-campus geographic location can refer to any Florida Tech owned entity that is frequented by students.

The non-campus definition also includes campus leased or rented spaces for an event that was sponsored by the university or any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by the institution.

How Florida Tech violated the Clery Act:

In the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports, all sex offenses, including rape, were cited as zero for the past three years.

According to definition in Florida Tech’s 2019 Annual Safety and Fire Report, rape is defined as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”

An anonymous student has gone on record and said that her rape, which occurred in 2018 on campus, was not included in the Clery report.

“I went into the Title IX office because I wanted this put down on record,” she said. “I wanted them to know that women are being assaulted and raped on this campus.” 

The student went to the health center and Counseling and Psychological Services, neither of which are mandated reporters.

She later went to Linda Jancheson, the Title IX coordinator, who reports to, as listed in Florida Tech’s organizational chart, VP/General Counsel.

“I spent 20 minutes waiting in the Title IX office, five minutes in Jancheson’s office and I left with three extra papers that I didn’t know what the hell meant,” the student said.

The student later talked to another Campus Security Authority and discussed her options with Security.

She ultimately decided not to take action against her rapist and no charges were filed in this case. 

Despite the student not taking action, according to Frank Iannone, director of security, whether or not a victim decides to pursue charges, a report is made regardless of the outcome.

When asked how many cases of rape have been reported to Jancheson for the past three years, she said, “I do not know the exact numbers.”

When asked how many Title IX reports Jancheson handed over to Security to include within this year’s Clery report, she said, “I do not know.”

The Title IX coordinator was asked these same questions two times, in two separate interviews, and responded with “I do not know,” in each instance.

Jancheson went on to say that she was not in the Title IX coordinator position when reports were made last year in 2018, though her start date was February of 2018.

Another anonymous source was raped in 2017 on campus and reported her rape to Security in 2018.

The student went through an investigation and disciplinary hearing, which took over one year and resulted in disciplinary action for her rapist. 

This student’s rape was also not included within this year’s Clery data. 

“Sitting down with two security officers not once, but twice to relive the details of my rape in depth and on record was anything but a warm environment as a victim,” she said. 

After her initial report, the student heard nothing for five months regarding the investigation and the scheduling of the disciplinary hearing.

“It was the worst experience of my life,” she said. “The process of reporting it was nearly as bad as my actual rape.”

It is not immediately known whether or not campus security filed these two reports of rape with local law enforcement.

Both sources will remain anonymous. The Crimson does not disclose the names of sexual assault survivors.

Repercussions for violating Clery:

According to a press release from the National Association of Clery Compliance officers and professionals, as of February 2019, the new amount that the U.S. Department of Education can impose for noncompliance with the Clery Act is $57,317 per violation. 

In 2016, Penn State was fined 2.4 million dollars for having been “out of compliance” for 11 serious cases dating from 1998 to 2011.

In 2018, the University of Montana was fined $966,614 for “inaccurate and misleading crime statistics” from liquior law violations to cases of rape between 2012 and 2015. 

Two anonymous students at Florida Tech have come forward to discuss their rapes in 2017 and 2018 and how they reported it to Security.

Those cases have not been cited within this year’s Clery report. 

Iannone said that from the statistics that are provided within this year’s Clery report, he feels the numbers accurately represent the campus.

If you have made a report to Security or Title IX and feel it has not been handled correctly, visit endrapeoncampus.org/the-clery-act to file a complaint.

As a student-run newspaper, your voices are extremely important to us.

If you feel you have experienced something similar as described in this piece and would like to speak with us, please contact us at crimson@fit.edu.

National Sexual Assault Hotline -1-800-656-4673
Women’s Center Counseling 321-242-1526

Vandalizers strike Downtown Melbourne during Hurricane Dorian

by Leave a Comment

While many Melbourne residents spent Labor Day weekend hunkering down for Hurricane Dorian, others had a different agenda.

On Wednesday, September 4, around 3:13 a.m, an unidentified individual broke the front windows to the Railroad Emporium in Downtown Melbourne, according to a Melbourne police report.

According to another Melbourne police report, there was an unrelated shooting on NASA Boulevard that same night.

These are just a few examples of crimes that tend to occur during storms.

Joshua Livasy, a senior in physics and a Melbourne native, said this issue needs to be solved.

“These storms have the potential to bring catastrophic damage to our communities as it is, but then you have people who use these disasters as a way to loot and vandalise local businesses,” Livasy said. “I think local law enforcement needs to find ways to keep a closer eye on the communities during these storms.”

Livasy also said he thinks keeping Downtown Melbourne safe and clean is very important not only to the city, but for the students of Florida Tech as well.

“Downtown Melbourne is not only a historical landmark here in Melbourne, it’s a place where many students here at Florida Tech go to enjoy themselves,” Livasy said. “But if the city of Melbourne doesn’t do a better job at keeping these communities safe, I think over time students won’t feel safe going there.”

However, other students, such as Jacob Mondoro, a sophomore in business management, think that regardless of what law enforcement tries, these kinds of crimes will continue to happen during hurricanes.

“Law enforcement can only do so much once the storm actually starts to affect us,” Mondoro said. “Once we start feeling the major effects of the storm, most of the local law enforcement does what we do and hunker down until it passes. It’s not until things calm down that responders start patrolling the communities again.”

Mondro also mentioned that the last thing business owners should have to worry about during a storm is whether or not their businesses are trying to be broken into.

“As a business owner, your concern in this time of crisis should be on whether or not the storm is going to cause damage, not if another person is going to damage your building,” Mondoro said.

With just a little over two months still left in the hurricane season, there’s still potential for more storms to come, and Livasy and Mondoro said they believe that local law enforcement needs to find better solutions for protecting these businesses and making the community a safer place to live.

Behind the Scenes of Security in Downtown Melbourne

by Leave a Comment

Downtown Melbourne — a favorite spot among many Florida Tech students — is generally seen as a safe place to go out on a Friday night by students like Zachary Shelton.

Some bars in downtown Melbourne don’t have much security, but that’s because they don’t seem to need any, according to both bar owners and the students who go to their bars.

One bar, Iron Oak Post, is located in downtown Melbourne and doesn’t prevent anyone from entering since the establishment is not 21 and up.

Anne Fears co-owns Iron Oak Post with her husband Mike.

Fears said their bar and several others don’t have security, and she doesn’t see security within the bar as an issue since they don’t have many incidents.

Shelton has only had one poor experience at a bar where a bouncer checked his ID and let him in, but asked him to leave immediately due to full capacity.

“I was very sad,” Shelton said.

However, having no security isn’t the case for all of the bars downtown.

“Some places have their own security,” Fears said. “It is dependent on the atmosphere of the place, it seems.”

Shelton, a senior at Florida Tech, lists Iron Oak Post as one of his top three favorite bars.

“It’s a nice bar,” Shelton said. “It’s quiet. Usually there are college students there. People from my class like to go there.”

Fears said downtown Melbourne requires extra security and police for publicized events in order to ensure that everyone stays safe.

On rare occasions, concert promoters may bring their own security for smaller events involving one bar rather than the entirety of downtown.

So far this year, there have been 46 incidents resulting in police offenses or arrests, according to Melbourne Police records.

These vary from aggravated assault to trespassing, with drunk driving, liquor law violations and assault occurring most frequently.

However, Fears doesn’t see an issue since these offenses are handled and don’t affect the establishments.

“At this point, security seems fairly good outside,” Fears said.

Yet, the bar owner would like to see improvements to security, such as an information system in place that links all of the nightlife establishments for the incidents that do occur.

The system could report real-time security concerns like excessively drunk groups, people walking out on bar tabs, fights, thieves and predator alerts—which are Fears’ main concerns.

“I think if the police and bars worked together, and a normal system was in place, it could benefit,” Fears said.

Shelton also thinks downtown is safe, but acknowledges that not everyone may feel that way.

“Personally, yes, but I don’t think women do,” Shelton said.

According to Shelton, downtown has evolved to include more police presence and public awareness.

“There are less creepy old people,” Shelton said. “I guess they just don’t hang around there as much.”

Shelton agrees that downtown could still improve, such as only allowing ride-shares and taxis down Main Street, ultimately making it safer by preventing drunk driving.

“Luckily, downtown is safe 99 percent of the time, but as the population grows we may see an increase in problems,” Fears said.

Of the incidents listed in police records, only one occurred this August.

Hence, while the police have seemingly handled the incidents swiftly, safety is always a priority.