Texas State University Under-Reported Crime Stats

Texas State University has admitted that it misreported crime numbers for its campuses.

The university says it misreported campus crimes in recent years and is overhauling the way it tracks and records crime statistics for its locations in Round Rock and San Marcos, says a report from the Texas Tribune.

At issue is Texas State’s compliance with the Clery Act, which requires it to report campus crime data and promptly warn students about ongoing or serious safety threats.

The U.S. Department of Education has been working with the university’s police department to ensure it submits accurate information in an annual campus security report due next month, the report says. School officials say the correct crime figures will be in the October report, and they expect some numbers to differ from those published before, according to the Tribune report.

“We want to paint an accurate picture for our prospective students and employees, and so I think … if we’ve done a disservice to our community, it’s been in that way — that we did not provide them accurate information to make informed decisions about attending school or working here,” said Texas State police Chief Laurie Clouse, who joined the department in February.

“We’re committed to getting it right,” said Eric Algoe, a university vice president who has overseen the police department since last October. Neither official was supervising the department when the reports under review were filed, the Tribune report noted.

School officials say the Education Department has not told them they’re under formal review, a process that can culminate in fines of more than $57,000 per violation,says the Tribune report. The department has provided “technical assistance” to help them come into compliance.