Reporting Prohibited Conduct

 

Reporting Incidents of Prohibited Conduct

You may choose to report to local law enforcement, the Collin College Police Department, Collin College’s Title IX complaint resolution process, or all of these entities. We encourage you to file a police report, proceed through the criminal justice process, and/or submit a report to Collin College if you are comfortable doing so. If you decide to report, Collin College will protect your identity in publicly available information, such as within our Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASFSR) or timely warning notices sent to the campus community. You may also choose not to report to any of these entities, and you are not obligated to report the incident if you choose not to do so. Victims have the right not to report a crime or to decline to notify authorities, including law enforcement, if they so choose.

 

You can also access the resources listed in the Complainant's Rights, Options, and Supportive Measures document regardless of whether or where you choose to report. Collin College will keep referrals to resources confidential, as long as it does not limit our ability to provide them to you. If Collin College needs to share information in order to refer you to a resource, we will notify you of what information needs to be shared, why, and with whom prior to sharing the information.

 

Note: Reporting to any individual or entity other than the appropriate Title IX coordinator or deputy Title IX coordinator does not constitute filing a formal complaint for the purposes of initiating the Title IX complaint resolution process. To initiate the Title IX complaint resolution process, the complainant must submit a formal complaint to the appropriate Title IX coordinator or deputy Title IX coordinator listed below. Additionally, to initiate the Title IX complaint resolution process, complainants cannot remain anonymous.

 

Reporting to the Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Title IX Coordinator

Collin College students and employees can contact the appropriate Title IX coordinator or deputy Title IX coordinator to report incidents of dating violence, domestic violence, gender-based harassment, retaliation, sex discrimination, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking (i.e., prohibited conduct).

Online Reporting Form

To file a complaint with the appropriate Title IX coordinator or deputy Title IX coordinator electronically, Collin College students and employees can submit the online Title IX Formal Complaint Form.

 

Reporting to Law Enforcement

For immediate notification to law enforcement or in a life-threatening emergency, dial 911.

 

Collin College encourages anyone who is the victim of or a witness to any crime to promptly and accurately report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement official(s) when the victim of a crime elects to, or is unable to, make such a report. Many complainants find law enforcement to be a great resource, and others choose not to report to law enforcement. We always encourage reporting, but only you can determine whether doing so is the right decision for you. Making a police report does not obligate you to file criminal charges, but it does create a record of the incident. The police report will include your name, the respondent’s name, witnesses’ names, and details of the incident.

 

It is important to note that the law enforcement agency you report to can vary depending on the specifics of your case and where the incident occurred. To report an incident that occurred on a Collin College campus or property owned or controlled by Collin College to the Collin College Police Department, call 972.578.5555 or dial extension 5555 from any campus phone.

 

If the incident occurred off campus, contact the appropriate police department in your home city and/or the city in which the incident occurred. Contact information for local law enforcement agencies is below.

 

If you request assistance, there are people on campus who can help you with reporting to law enforcement if you choose to do so. For assistance with reporting to law enforcement, contact the appropriate Title IX coordinator or deputy Title IX coordinator listed in the Reporting to the Appropriate Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Title IX Coordinator section on this page. Additionally, students can contact the District Dean of Students Office at 972.881.5604 or dos@collin.edu and employees can contact the Human Resources Department (HR) at 972.758.3856 or hr@collin.edu for assistance with reporting to law enforcement.

 

Regardless of whether you choose to report to law enforcement, there are campus options available to you, including resolution through Collin College’s Title IX complaint resolution process.

Voluntary Confidential Reporting

Collin College recognizes incidents of crime can be difficult to discuss, and victims and witnesses may want confidentiality in addition to support. Victims and witnesses of a crime who do not want to pursue action within the Collin College system or the criminal justice system may still want to consider making a voluntary confidential report. The Collin College Police Department can file a report on the details of the incident without revealing the victim’s or witness’s identity.

 

The purpose of a voluntary confidential report is to comply with the victim’s or witness’s wish to keep the matter confidential while taking steps to ensure the future safety of the victim, witness, and others. With such information, Collin College can keep an accurate record of the number of incidents involving students, employees, and visitors; determine where there is a pattern of crime with regard to a particular location, method, or assailant; and alert the campus community to potential danger. Reports filed in this manner are counted and disclosed in Collin College’s annual Clery Act crime statistics.

 

To submit a voluntary confidential report, victims and witnesses can contact the Collin College Police Department Communications Center 24 hours a day at 972.578.5555 or in person at any of the Collin College Police Department office locations on campus.

 

The victim or witness must inform the Collin College Police Department dispatcher or officer they would like their name and any identifying information to remain confidential at the start of the report. The victim or witness should provide as much detail as possible, and the Collin College Police Department dispatcher or officer will take the report without including the victim’s or witness’s name or identifying information.

 

Anonymous Reports

In accordance with the Texas Education Code Section 51.252 and Section 51.283, victims can report prohibited conduct anonymously or using a pseudonym. However, the submission of an anonymous report or use of a pseudonym may impair Collin College’s ability to investigate and address the prohibited conduct. Additionally, to initiate the Title IX complaint resolution process, complainants cannot remain anonymous.

 

To report prohibited conduct anonymously or using a pseudonym, victims can submit the online Title IX Formal Complaint Form, contact the Collin College Police Department Communications Center 24 hours a day at 972.578.5555, or report in person at any of the Collin College Police Department office locations on campus.

 

When submitting an anonymous report of prohibited conduct to the Collin College Police Department, the victim should inform the dispatcher or officer they would like to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym at the start of the report. The victim should provide as much detail as possible, and the dispatcher or officer will take the report using a pseudonym in place of the victim’s name.

 

If a victim of prohibited conduct files a report and later determines they would like to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym, the Collin College Police Department can assign a pseudonym to the victim. The victim must inform the Collin College Police Department officer assigned to investigate the case over the phone or in writing that they would like a pseudonym assigned to them. The pseudonym will be used in place of the victim’s name to identify them on any further documentation that could become public information.

 

Amnesty Policy for Students

In accordance with the Texas Education Code Section 51.284, Collin College will give amnesty to (i.e., not take disciplinary action against) a student who reports, in good faith, that the student was the victim of or a witness to an incident of prohibited conduct. This amnesty policy applies regardless of the location at which the incident occurred or the outcome of Collin College’s disciplinary process regarding the incident, if any. This amnesty policy does not apply to a student who reports their own commission or assistance in the commission of prohibited conduct.