Campuses Face Heightened Scrutiny After Freeh Report

NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio, Sept. 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- All college campuses are required to track crime statistics and security measures, crime prevention programs and procedural lists to comply with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (The Clery Act). Apparent negligence in adequately tracking campus crimes have led to a number of high-profile missteps, including Penn State's failure to report Jerry Sandusky's inappropriate conduct during his tenure at the university. According to the Freeh Report, an independent assessment of the campus's response to allegations against Sandusky, "The University's incomplete implementation of the Clery Act was a contributing factor in the failure to report the 2001 sexual abuse committed by Sandusky."

The Freeh report discussed in length Penn State's failure to implement its Clery Act policy, which remained in draft form as of November 2011. As a result of the Sandusky case and an epidemic of campus shootings and other violent crimes, Clery Act compliance has become a hot topic of discussion among mainstream media, forcing campuses nationwide to reexamine their policies and adopt technologies to streamline tracking and reporting of on-campus incidents. Failure to comply with standards could subject a college or university to fines or limits on federally granted financial aid.

NaviGate™ by Lauren Innovations is a cloud-based incident reporting system being used by a number of campuses to boost Clery Act compliance.

"Improving campus safety is important to all stakeholders from university officials and administrators to parents and students," said Bennett Fierman, Ph.D., president of Lauren Innovations. "But to improve campus safety, you must first have full visibility to crimes and trends that have occurred. That's what Clery Act reporting provides. NaviGate makes it easier for campuses to track incidents and produce the reports necessary to comply."

In 2011, Lauren Innovations enhanced its NaviGate Incident Management system to allow users to tag each incident and report measurable statistics in compliance with Clery Act regulations. Reports and crime logs can be easily created and stored within NaviGate using any web-enabled device for quick access anytime, from anywhere.

Campuses of all sizes have implemented NaviGate as part of their campus safety plans, including Gustavus Adolphus College which adopted the technology in 2011. Originally, the college adopted NaviGate to expand and improve upon its emergency and safety plans to enhance coordination and interaction with local first responders after a category F-3 tornado struck the campus, wiping out its paper-based emergency plans, building plans and business continuity plans.

"I was looking for a one-stop-shopping, web-based, highly secured, integrated emergency management system," said Raymond Thrower, director of campus safety, Gustavus Adolphus College and past President of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). "It took me almost 13 years, but NaviGate fit the bill completely."

With NaviGate's enhanced Incident Management system, Clery Act reporting is now simpler for Gustavus Adolphus College.

"Lauren Innovations truly understands what the end-user needs in the way of Clery Act reporting," Thrower said. "The system has the exact features we need to produce Clery compliant reports in a simple, easy-to-understand package."

Incident Management is one of five modules in the NaviGate suite, which also includes Learning Management, Document Management, Incident Management and Emergency Management. NaviGate's modules work together to benefit individuals, specific departments or entire organizations. From safety and security personnel to human resources and operations managers, the versatility and role-based access control of NaviGate allow any authorized user to instantly put critical information at the fingertips of those who need it. It is currently used by campuses, health systems, K-12 schools, government buildings, sporting arenas and commercial buildings from coast to coast to help boost security and compliance.

For more information on how NaviGate helps campuses improve safety and avoid Clery Compliance missteps and fines, visit www.laureninnovations.com/education or call 866.861.7400.

About NaviGate™ by Lauren Innovations

NaviGate™ by Lauren Innovations is a highly secure, Web-based system that can be used by any organization to collect, manage, and apply their unique essential information through integrated document, incident, learning, emergency and inventory management functions. Through controlled, role- and permission-based access, NaviGate optimizes daily operations and emergency response, with secure, instant access to information at anytime, from anywhere. Based on its proven effectiveness, NaviGate has received SAFETY Act designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and has been given a highly effective rating by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) Laboratory. For more news and upcoming events, visit www.laureninnovations.com.

About Lauren Innovations

Lauren Innovations ( www.laureninnovations.com ) is dedicated to the development and enhancement of technologies and services that contribute to a safer, healthier and more secure world. Headquartered in New Philadelphia, Ohio, Lauren Innovations is a subsidiary of Lauren International ( www.laureninternational.com

Erika Harris

Marketing Manager

Lauren Innovations

330.308.7306

erika.harris@lauren.com

laureninnovations.com

Lauren Innovations (www.laureninnovations.com) is dedicated to the development of state-of-the-art technologies and services that allow our customers to act proactively. Our goal is to continually bring relevant, valuable products to the market that can streamline processes and benefit the overall operation and preparedness of an organization. It is our culture to strive for excellence, responsibility and integrity in all that we do and provide. Based on its proven effectiveness, NaviGate has received SAFETY Act designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and has been given a highly effective rating by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) Laboratory. Headquartered in New Philadelphia, Ohio, Lauren Innovations is a subsidiary of Lauren International (www.laureninternational.com). For more information, call 866.861.7400.

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