Missing Person Notification Policy and Procedure

Back to Table of Contents

For more information, please review the official policy on the College of Charleston website at http://policy.cofc.edu/.

PURPOSE

This Policy and Procedure describes the nature and extent of notifications that will be provided in the case of a Residential Student who is determined to be missing for a period of 24 hours or longer by the College Department of Public Safety.

APPLICABILITY

This Policy and Procedure applies only to students who are lawfully occupying College-provided housing. Such housing may be in a resident hall located on campus or in any other facility that is rented or leased by the College for the purpose of providing residential housing to its students. For purposes of this Policy and Procedure, a "Residential Student" shall be deemed to be a student who is lawfully residing in such a facility.

POLICY

  1. Notice
    At the beginning of each Academic Year the Department of Residence Life and Campus Housing shall inform each Residential Student that such student has the option to identify an individual to be contacted by the College not later than 24 hours after the time that the student is determined missing. In addition to the forgoing, the Department of Residence Life and Campus Housing shall-
    • Provide each Residential Student a means to register a confidential contact person (the "Confidential Contact") in the event that the student is determined to be missing for a period of more than 24 hours;
    • Advise each Residential Student who is under 18 years of age, and not an emancipated individual, that the College is required to notify a custodial parent or guardian, as well as the Confidential Contact, not later than 24 hours after the time that the student is determined to be missing; and
    • Inform each Residential Student that the College will notify the appropriate law enforcement agencies not later than 24 hours after the time that the student is determined missing by the College Department of Public Safety.
  2. Emergency Contacts
    If the College Department of Public Safety makes a determination that a Residential Student who is the subject of a missing person report has been missing for more than 24 hours and has not returned to the campus, the College will initiate the emergency contact procedures in accordance with the student's designation of a Confidential Contact and this Policy and Procedure.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES

  1. Mandatory Notification of Public Safety
    The Department of Residence Life shall inform the Department of Public Safety immediately upon any reasonable suspicion that a Residential Student is missing. All other members of the College Community shall report to the College Department of Public Safety any student who is missing under circumstances that reasonably appear to be unusual, serious, or troubling.
  2. Actions of Public Safety
    If a Residential Student is deemed to be missing for more than 24 hours by the College Department of Public Safety, that Department shall-
    • Notify the Executive Vice President for Student Affairs that such student has been missing for more than 24 hours;
    • Notify the Confidential Contact as rapidly as possible under the circumstances; and
    • If the Residential Student is under 18 years of age, and not an emancipated individual, immediately contact the custodial parent or legal guardian of such student, as well as, the Confidential Contact.
  3. Referral to Outside Authorities
    In addition to making the notifications in this Policy and Procedure, the Department of Public Safety may also contact such other law enforcement authorities as may be appropriate under the circumstances, provided that, it must contact local, state, and/or federal authorities and the National Crime Information Center of the Department of Justice in the event that the missing Residential Student is under the age of 21. Moreover, in any case when (a} there is an indication of forcible abduction or other crime against the person; or (b} the missing Residential Student has not designated a Confidential Contact, the Department of Public Safety shall make an immediate referral to one or more appropriate law enforcement authorities.
  4. On Campus Investigations
    The Department of Public Safety shall conduct investigations of missing Residential Students on campus and may use any lawful method to do so.