Campus safety at Jackson State University concerns students

Federal law provides benchmarks for protecting students and providing records of crimes – but reviewing security at Jackson State University is difficult

On the night of Nov. 29, 2007, 20-year-old Latasha Norman, a student at Jackson State University, was found dead near a wooded area in the vicinity of Tougaloo College. Norman had reported a violent encounter to law enforcement officers the previous month.

Norman had told police that she was being hit by her boyfriend, Stanley Cole. Soon after, a report indicated she was missing, with her last whereabouts having been in class at JSU on Nov. 13, 2007. Her body was discovered a little more than two weeks later.

Cole was eventually charged and found guilty of manslaughter, aggravated stalking and robbery. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison and is currently incarcerated at the East Mississippi Corrections Facility.

Norman’s tragic death exposed the vulnerabilities of college students and prompted a review of campus safety policies. Those policies were built upon a foundation that few outside of law enforcement and university administrations are likely familiar with: the federal Clery Act, passed in 1990, which mandates that universities report crime data and safety policies to help ensure campus safety. Given high crime rates in Jackson, the information is particularly relevant today. Yet it is not easily assessed.

Among JSU students contacted by The Mississippi Independent, few were familiar with the Clery Act but many wondered how effectively JSU officials – and specifically, campus police – ensure campus safety. The students said crimes often go unreported or are not investigated or pursued to the fullest extent of the law due to a wide range of factors, including students’ mistrust of police and fear of retaliation.

Also evident was that anyone searching for specifics about the effectiveness of the Clery Act in ensuring safety at JSU will likely run into obstacles. Accountability and transparency are hallmarks of the act, yet JSU officials provided little useful information to The Mississippi Independent in response to multiple queries about campus crime.

The Clery Act was named for 19-year-old Jeanne Clery, a freshman at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, who was raped and murdered in her residence hall in 1986. Her murderer confessed and initially received the death penalty, but that sentence was overturned and he is now serving life in prison. The act requires campus police to report crime statistics and undertake remedial measures to reduce crime. On the first day of October each year, institutions must produce and administer an annual campus security report to be sent to current students, prospective students and employees.

Another requirement is for the maintenance of a crime log, a public record containing all reports filed with “Campus Security Authorities” (campus police), including any crime information compiled during the last 60 days. A required “timely warning” informs students and staff of any crime that has occurred and extends beyond reported crimes. According to clerycenter.org, timely warnings cover any significant danger to the health or safety of the campus community, such as a major weather event, with alerts sent to staff and students encouraging them to take any necessary action.

The primary aim of the Clery Act is to monitor campus crime, ensure remedial action is taken when necessary, and keep students and the general public informed. Yet attempting to review JSU’s crime log archive is difficult and in some cases it is impossible to deeply mine the data. Official queries often go unanswered. The following illustrates my effort to review Clery Act protocols and JSU crime records and prevention efforts.

I first emailed JSU investigations officer Jerry Kelly, chief of police Eric Stanton, chief of operations Tilmon Clifton, and Clery compliance officer Edna Harris for information about campus safety and, specifically, activities related to the Clery Act. None responded, so I went to the campus safety building to request information in person from the same officials or from anyone who happened to be in the office.

After I stated my request, a clerk went into a back area of the office, after which Kelly emerged and asked what I needed. I said I hoped to speak with Stanton, the chief of police, so that I could ask a few questions for my article. Kelly said Stanton would be out for lunch and that I should come back at 2 pm. I had a conflict at that specific time, and when I eventually returned, the clerk informed me that the request would need approval, which could take some time.

I next emailed Title IX coordinator LaShundra Jackson-Winters and copied Harris. I then phoned Harris, who subsequently sent me an email with “Clery Act Response” in the subject line that included a statement from Chief Stanton dated Feb. 21, 2025, but primarily included information that anyone could look up online, such as Clery Act requirements. The emailed memo also referenced how the JSU Department of Public Safety gives victims of sexual crimes resources to help with recovery; provided contact information at Title IX; and summarized how officials ensure that an annual security report is done and disseminated to the community.

Afterward, I asked Harris if she could respond to students’ perceptions that their safety is not a high priority. I also asked whether the Clery Act has had a positive effect on campus, how it has impacted crime on campus, and how I might go about comparing crimes and crime statistics from previous years. The Clery Act mandates that colleges and universities maintain a clearinghouse of crimes, which is potentially useful to anyone trying to determine how bad crime is at a specific university and what is being done about it. Because Jackson is a high-crime city and JSU is in a high-crime neighborhood, the comparative risks and effectiveness of campus security are particularly relevant.

I had looked at the campus crime log (a requirement of the Clery Act, posted on the JSU safety department site) but it only included crimes in 2025. When I clicked on Crime Statistics 2020-2023, a message appeared that the file was not found. Only when I clicked on Clery Act Report did was data for that period returned. The report included 49 incidents and 30 arrests in 2020-2021; seven incidents and two arrests in 2021-2022; and 54 incidents and six arrests in 2022-2023. Among the crimes were two murders; 18 burglaries; 38 drug abuse violations; and seven sexual assaults. Two murders in three years is a low rate compared with overall Jackson statistics, but high for a college campus.

This site, which is not affiliated with JSU, includes data for other years and crime comparisons with other colleges and universities. Among the cited details are that disciplinary actions account for 26.4 percent of all crime and safety incidents at the university. Around 23.2 percent of crimes and safety-related incidents at JSU resulted in arrests for possession. About 37.6 percent of incidents were arrests for major crimes. Acts of violence against women accounted for 12.8 percent of incidents.

Regarding my request for more detailed information about crime trends at JSU and how officials are addressing them, Harris referred me to Chief Stanton and Winters-Jackson and said they could answer the questions better than she could.

The next day, I emailed Stanton but got no response. During the month that followed, I twice emailed Winters-Jackson but got no response. In the second email I included a list of detailed questions.

All of which raises questions about both transparency and accountability at JSU under the Clery Act. My experiences do not indicate any wrongdoing on the part of JSU officials but illustrate one reason students express little confidence in campus security.

Eris Markey, a sophomore biology pre-nursing major, is among the students who believe JSU officials do not place enough emphasis on student safety.

“I feel like the safety on campus is a huge issue,” Markey said, adding that in her view, “The security [officers] on campus pay more attention to the cars being towed rather than the actual safety of the students.”

Markey suggested that campus security needs to be improved, especially considering that many areas around JSU are high-crime neighborhoods. Jackson annually appears at or near the top of crime rankings, including the highest for murder in the United States in 2023. Added to that, the Jackson State campus is essentially “wide open,” with no gates to control access from outside.

Under the Clery Act, institutions must keep at least seven years’ worth of statistics about crimes that have occurred on campus and on public property immediately adjacent. Upon request, students can receive the information before the 60-day mark. Also covered are off-campus buildings or properties owned or controlled by the university and used for educational purposes, which at JSU includes the Walter Payton Center, the Mississippi E-Center, Walthall Lofts and The Courthouse Apartments. The act describes four categories of relevant crimes: criminal offenses; hate crimes; offenses involving violence against women (covered by the Violence Against Women Act); and other arrests or referrals for disciplinary action.

When it comes to sex crimes, Title IX also jumps in. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal funds. Though the Clery Act and Title IX have different overall aims, they often overlap. Both provide guidance during disciplinary procedures for incidents such as dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

Sometimes, crimes are covered by both acts. Jackson-Winters, JSU’s Title IX coordinator, told me, “We review Title IX regulations periodically to ensure we provide clear reporting procedures, offer support services, and educate the campus community as it relates to reporting options and available services.” She said JSU also maintains “a level of confidentiality and due process while ensuring thorough investigations when a complaint is filed.”

Crimes covered by the Clery Act include murder, larceny, domestic violence and drug abuse violations. According to JSU’s partial crime log, 27 crimes have so far been reported in 2025, ranging from illegally setting off a fire alarm to burglary.

The point of the Clery Act is to make campuses safer and ensure accountability for official responses to crimes. The act carries potential penalties, fines and loss of federal funds for failure to properly enforce its requirements. There have been obvious dividends, but lack of adequate communication and access to records contribute to student concerns at JSU.

Among the reported crimes at JSU in recent years, the 2023 shooting death of a student at a campus apartment complex reportedly prompted the university to increase security, but how they went about doing that is unclear.

Matthew Adams is a senior journalism and media studies major who plans to pursue career opportunities in Atlanta, Georgia.

---

Image: Jackson State University campus (via JSU website)