/education-data-source-campus-safety

name: education-data-source-campus-safety
description: >-
  CSS — annual Clery Act crime/fire safety for Title IV institutions. Portal: hate crimes only (2005-2021); primary offenses, VAWA, arrests, fire safety need ope.ed.gov directly. Use for campus crime analysis. Identified by IPEDS unitid.
metadata:
  audience: any-agent
  domain: data-source
  skill-authored: "2026-02-09"
  skill-last-updated: "2026-02-09"

Campus Safety Data Source Reference

Campus Safety and Security (CSS) — annual Clery Act crime and fire safety reporting for all Title IV postsecondary institutions. Full dataset covers primary offenses, VAWA offenses, hate crimes, arrests/referrals, and fire safety. Portal mirror provides only hate crimes data (2005-2021); primary offenses, VAWA, arrests, and fire safety require direct access to ope.ed.gov/campussafety. Use when analyzing campus hate crimes via Portal or understanding Clery Act reporting structure. Identified by IPEDS unitid.

Guide to understanding and using campus crime and fire safety data collected under the Clery Act.

> **CRITICAL: Value Encoding** > > The Education Data Portal mirrors use **integer codes** for categorical variables, not string labels: > > | Variable | Example Code | Meaning | > |----------|--------------|---------| > | `bias` | `1` | Race-based bias | > | `crime_type` | `14` | Intimidation | > | `fips` | `6` | California | > > See `./references/variable-definitions.md` for complete code mappings.

> **Truth Hierarchy:** When interpreting variable values, apply this priority: > 1. **Actual data file** (what you observe in the parquet/CSV) -- this IS the truth > 2. **Live codebook** (.xls in mirror) -- authoritative documentation, may lag > 3. **This skill documentation** -- convenient summary, may drift from codebook > > If this documentation contradicts the codebook, trust the codebook. If the codebook contradicts observed data, trust the data and investigate. Use `get_codebook_url()` from `fetch-patterns.md` to download codebooks.

What is Campus Safety and Security Data?

The Campus Safety and Security (CSS) data comes from the annual survey required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act:

• **Federal mandate**: All Title IV institutions must report crime and fire statistics annually
• **Consumer protection**: Designed to inform students, parents, and employees about campus safety
• **Primary source**: U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education
• **Coverage**: All postsecondary institutions receiving federal financial aid
• **Reporting period**: Calendar year (January 1 - December 31)
• **Available years**: 2005-2021 (hate crimes in Portal mirrors)
• **Primary identifier**: `unitid` (IPEDS institution ID, 6-digit integer)
• **Official portal**: https://ope.ed.gov/campussafety/
• **Portal mirror coverage**: Hate crimes only. For primary offenses, VAWA, arrests, and fire safety, access the Department of Education portal directly.

Reference File Structure

| File | Purpose | When to Read | |------|---------|--------------| | `clery-act.md` | Legal framework, history, reporting requirements | Understanding compliance context | | `crime-categories.md` | Criminal offenses, definitions, classification rules | Interpreting crime statistics | | `vawa-offenses.md` | Dating violence, domestic violence, stalking | Analyzing gender-based violence data | | `hate-crimes.md` | Bias categories, additional offenses, classification | Working with hate crime statistics | | `campus-geography.md` | On-campus, residence halls, public property, noncampus | Understanding location categories | | `fire-safety.md` | Fire statistics, safety systems, HEOA requirements | Analyzing residential fire data | | `arrests-referrals.md` | Drug, alcohol, weapons violations | Working with disciplinary data | | `variable-definitions.md` | Key variables, data structure, identifiers | Building queries | | `limitations.md` | Underreporting, comparability issues, interpretation | Critical data analysis |

Decision Trees

What type of crime data do I need?

Crime data type?
├─ Violent crimes (murder, assault, robbery, sex offenses)
│   └─ See ./references/crime-categories.md
├─ Property crimes (burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson)
│   └─ See ./references/crime-categories.md
├─ Sex offenses (rape, fondling, incest, statutory rape)
│   └─ See ./references/crime-categories.md
├─ Dating/domestic violence, stalking
│   └─ See ./references/vawa-offenses.md
├─ Hate crimes (bias-motivated)
│   └─ See ./references/hate-crimes.md
├─ Drug/alcohol/weapons violations
│   └─ See ./references/arrests-referrals.md
└─ Fire incidents in residence halls
    └─ See ./references/fire-safety.md

Where did the crime occur?

Understanding crime location?
├─ On-campus (main campus buildings/grounds)
│   └─ See ./references/campus-geography.md
├─ On-campus student housing (subset of on-campus)
│   └─ See ./references/campus-geography.md
├─ Public property (streets, sidewalks adjacent to campus)
│   └─ See ./references/campus-geography.md
├─ Noncampus (off-site but institution-controlled)
│   └─ See ./references/campus-geography.md
└─ Not sure which category
    └─ See ./references/campus-geography.md (definitions section)

Can I compare schools?

Planning institutional comparisons?
├─ Want to rank schools by safety
│   └─ See ./references/limitations.md (CRITICAL: comparability issues)
├─ Comparing similar institution types
│   └─ See ./references/limitations.md (controlling for factors)
├─ Analyzing trends over time
│   └─ See ./references/limitations.md (reporting changes)
└─ Understanding what statistics mean
    └─ See ./references/limitations.md (interpretation guidance)

Quick Reference: Crime Categories

Crime Type Codes (Portal Integer Encoding)

| Code | Crime Type | Category | |------|------------|----------| | `1` | Murder/Non-negligent Manslaughter | Primary Offe