Public Policy

Since our founding in 1987, Security On Campus, Inc. (SOC) has served as the leading voice in the United States for safer college and university communities.

We advocate for federal and state policies that will provide campus communities with more information about crime and safety issues, that treat campus crime victims fairly and with respect, and that properly empower institutions to respond to crime and other serious threats.

SOC has been responsible for the passage of nearly 40 state and federal laws designed to make college and university campuses safer. Among the most notable is the landmark federal Jeanne Clery Act, which requires public and private institutions of higher education to disclose crime information and afford rights to victims in sexual assault cases. It is named in memory of the daughter of SOC’s co-founders, Connie and Howard Clery, who formed the organization after her rape and murder on campus in 1986.

Most recently, SOC worked to secure passage of amendments to the Clery Act that require colleges to implement an emergency response plan that includes immediate warnings. Making sure that this new law is properly implemented will be one of our top priorities in 2009 as the U.S. Department of Education develops regulations to implement it.