There were a lot of zeros on this year’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report at Barton Community College, and that’s a good thing, Title IX Coordinator Cheryl Brown reported Tuesday at a BCC Board of Trustees study session.
Brown and Lead Campus Security Officer Lucas Stoeling presented the annual security and fire safety report, which showed virtually no criminal activity reports in 2023. The most-reported illegal activities were liquor law violations. While there were 33 such violations in student housing last year, Stoelting said that number was misleading because one case involved 15 students and each was counted separately.
This 87-page document contains information mandated by the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Safety Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, commonly referred to as the Clery Act. It lists emergency procedures and telephone for each of the college’s campuses.
Barton President Dr. Marcus Garstecky said parents and prospective students look at campus security reports when choosing a college. Barton’s report can be found on the college website at https://www.bartonccc.edu/campussafety/crimesecurityact.
“This is a huge effort,” Garstecky said. “It’s good information but it is tedious.”
By way of illustration Brown showed a multiple-page spreadsheet listing every off-campus location for any overnight, school-sponsored trips. The report has to cover any crimes reported there as well.
The Barton County Campus Security Department consists of seven full-time officers who provide 24 hours a day services. The department has a working relationship with the Barton County Sheriff’s Office. Students can receive alerts on their phones from Rave Mobile Safety. The college has ordered additional security cameras that Stoeling said were supposed to arrive in September. The delivery date has been moved to Oct. 26.
The statistics
Criminal offenses were rare on campus in 2023, according to the report. There was one report of domestic violence on a non-campus property. Brown said that occurred in a parking lot.
The statistics in 2022 for last year's 2023 report showed one rape and one incident of fondling in student housing; in 2021, there were two rapes and one case of dating violence reported in student housing. Elsewhere on campus that year, there was one motor vehicle theft.
In the 2024 report for 2023, there were no drug law or illegal weapons possession arrests but there were judicial referrals or disciplinary actions. Two were for drug violations on campus, including one in student housing. As previously mentioned, there were 33 liquor law violations.
There were no hate crimes reported in any of the three years.
For other Barton facilities, including Grandview Plaza, Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, there are pages of “zeros” for criminal offenses.
The report also includes information on the fire safety system, fire drills and the evacuation plan. No fires or fire damage were reported in student housing.
