Examining the Role of Demographics in Campus Crime Alerts

• Author: Steven Keener,Michael Perkins,William V. Pelfrey
• DOI: 10.1177/2153368716675475
• Published date: 01 July 2018
• Date: 01 July 2018
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Examining the Role of

Demographics in Campus

Crime Alerts: Implications

and Recommendations

William V. Pelfrey Jr

1

, Steven Keener

1

and Michael Perkins

1

Abstract

Colleges and universities are required by the Clery Act to issue crime alerts to

members of the campus community. Issuing agencies have significant discretion in the

timing and information included in crime alerts, including the perpetrator descriptors.

The inclusion of perpetrator/suspect descriptions in the crime alert is intended to

maximize public safety. Race descriptors may have negative consequences through the

repetition of minority suspect information. To address the issue of demographic use in

crime alerts, a mixed method approach was employed. A summary review of several

years of crime alerts issued by a large urban university was conducted to assess the role

of demographics. Qualitative data were collected through a series of focus groups and

interviews addressing the balance of public safety and potential negative perceptions

(perpetuated by crime alerts). Reviewed crime alerts indicate that they are largely

posted for violent crimes, particularly robbery, armed robbery, and aggravated assault.

Perpetrators are overwhelmingly male and largely Black. It is reasonable to question

whether repeated descriptions of crime acts committed by Black males could raise,

foster, or enhance negative stereotypes. Recommendations for model crime alerts and

campus events are included. Consideration of stereotype impacts may influence crime

alerts but circumstances and public risk may supersede these concerns.

Keywords

crime alerts, race and policing, stereotypes, criminological theories, race and public

opinion, treatment by the police, race and public opinion

1

Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

Corresponding Author:

William V. Pelfrey Jr, Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University,

923 West Franklin St, PO Box 842028, Richmond, VA 23284, USA.

Email: wvpelfrey@vcu.edu

Race and Justice

2018, Vol. 8(3) 244-269

ªThe Author(s) 2016

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DOI: 10.1177/2153368716675475

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Introduction

Recent high-profile encounters with police, particularly revolving around issues of

race, have refocused attention to police–citizen encounters. This issue is especially

important in urban campuses which are defined by a high population of minority

students and are often located in a high-density minority population regions. Criminal

acts are therefore frequently perpetrated by minority males and crime alerts, issued by

campus law enforcement and required by the Clery Act, draw a recurrent focus to

minority crime acts. This repetition of information may produce a variety of adverse

consequences.

The cumulative impact of racial discrimination, stereotyping, and micro-

aggressions account for the special way many African Americans evaluate and ana-

lyze their experience in both citizen–citizen and police–citizen encounters. While a

growing interest in racial profiling and policing bias is beneficial to all citizens, this

interest is of particular importance to many African American communities. Police–

minority interactions and perceptions of each other are complex and multifaceted and

African Americans hold a unique, long-standing, and complicated relationship with

police and law enforcement. This relationship traces to official and unofficial police

patrols historically enforcing unjust laws by monitoring, patrolling, and controlling

African Americans (Bass, 2001).

A substantial body of research has investigated the social impact of policing and

the disproportionate effects of police procedures and wrongdoing on Black citizens

(Bass, 2001; Meehan & Ponder, 2002). These studies detail the diverse injuries to

residents of distressed communities, including unparalleled experiences with being

watched and detained (Fagan & Davies, 2000; Hurst & Frank, 2000; Jones-Brown,

2000), arrests, the use of unwarranted physical and deadly force, and officer mis-

conduct (Kane, 2002). In addition, the literature also concludes that it is particularly

African American men who are disproportionally burdened by these negative

experiences (Brunson & Miller, 2006; Hurst & Frank, 2000). Collectively, perceptions

of unfair and disrespectful treatment, coupled with high rates of being targeted by the

police, likely have a cumulative effect on Black men perception and interaction with

the police (Brunson, 2007).

The potential accumulation of negative stereotypes evident in crime alerts may

influence perceptions, and actions, of persons from all races. This concern raises

research questions regarding the appropriateness of demographics in crime alerts. Law

enforcement agencies must balance public safety and negative perceptions. This

difficult task mandates consideration of a model crime alert and leads to recom-

mendations for campus communities.

Literature Review

The following review will frame an analysis of racial indicators in campus crime alerts

and the potential impact on negative racial stereotypes. The review establishes the

foundations of the Clery Act before considering the racial climate on college

Pelfrey et al. 245