Clery Team Differentiators

Key Differentiators Between the D. Stafford & Associates Clery Team and Other Consultants and Consulting Firms

Trusted Experience

  • Dolores Stafford, one of the first and longest-serving, nationally-recognized experts in the Clery Act, has participated in 99% of the Clery Audits conducted by DSA.
  • D. Stafford & Associates has conducted more than 900 independent audits/reviews of Clery Act compliance since 1997.
  • DSA conducts reviews/audits using a core team of Clery Act experts, including Dolores Stafford, Dr. Michael DeBowes, and Lindi Swope. Depending on the scope of the review/audit, a combination of some or all core team members may be utilized in conjunction with additional experienced associates who are trained and supervised by the core team. Stafford has participated in over 900 audits and reviews of Clery compliance for colleges and universities across the country, starting in 1997. DeBowes and Swope have participated in more than 400 Clery compliance reviews/audits since joining the team in 2012 and 2011, respectively.
  • The DSA Clery Team has been involved in the review of more than 700 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports since the company began offering that service in 1997.
  • Members of the DSA Clery Team have also facilitated more than 175 campus-based Clery Act classes at institutions across the country (generally, one or two day classes).
  • Unlike other consulting companies who provide Clery Act services, none of the DSA Clery Team members worked at campuses that were found to be out of compliance or fined by the U.S. Department of Education for Clery Act violations that occurred during their tenure.
  • DSA has at least 3 former clients that have been audited by ED subsequent to a proactive DSA audit that have been found in compliance with the Clery Act, i.e., no findings of non-compliance. DSA has also assisted numerous institutions with helping institutions respond to U.S. Department of Education media assessments and program reviews.

Industry Thought Leaders

  • Stafford is the is the founder (in 2013) and actively serves as the Executive Director of the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals (NACCOP), a professional association with over 1,450 members. Dr. DeBowes has served as Director of Research & Strategic Initiatives for NACCOP since 2014.
  • Members of the DSA Clery Team serve as curriculum developers and lead instructors for the 5-day DSA Clery Act Compliance Training Academy, which is recognized as the preeminent training program for teaching practitioners how to comply with the complex requirements of the Clery Act. The DSA Clery Team has trained more than 9,750 campus officials in the Clery Act since 2010.
  • The DSA Clery Team also developed and facilitates the 3.5 day Advanced Clery Act Compliance Training Academy, which is a training program that provides an opportunity for attendees to build upon the foundation provided in the DSA Clery Act Compliance Training Academy through a combination of instruction, discussion, and group-based learning activities that explore how to practically apply relevant laws and ED guidance to some of the most vexing issues facing practitioners.
  • The DSA Clery Team (also including Title IX and VAWA expert, Adrienne Murray) developed and coordinates the NACCOP Clery Compliance Officer Certification Program, which leads to a professional credential from the only association serving the needs of Clery compliance officers and professionals.

Scholar-Practitioners

  • DSA core team members have published well over 50 journal articles and whitepapers on Clery Act compliance. They have also presented well over 100 webinars, conference presentations, and keynote addresses related to the Clery Act.
  • Two members of the DSA Clery Team (Stafford and DeBowes) conducted an original, first-of-its-kind research study of Clery compliance in partnership with Old Dominion University and published the results of that study in a peer-reviewed, international scholarly journal.
  • The Vice President, Regulatory Compliance and Strategic Initiatives has been affiliated with D. Stafford & Associates as a consultant since 2012 and has worked for NACCOP since July 2014, immediately following completion of his doctoral dissertation, which explored student conduct administrator knowledge of the Clery Act (the dissertation was recognized by the Association for Student Conduct Administration as the 2015 Dissertation of the Year).
  • The Vice President, Regulatory Compliance and Strategic Initiatives contributed to a book chapter on the Clery Act in Campus Crime (4th Edition).

Federal Engagement

  • Dolores Stafford is the only campus law enforcement practitioner in the country who has had the opportunity to testify at 3 Congressional hearings involving Clery Act issues.
  • Dolores Stafford was selected to represent IACLEA as the primary negotiator during the 1999 and 2009 Negotiated Rule Making processes sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education regarding the development of final rules for the implementation of the Clery Act. In 2014, she was named an expert advisor to the Negotiated Rule Making Team that dealt with the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act.
  • Dolores Stafford has more than 20 years of service on the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) Government Relations Committee; has served as chair of IACLEA’s Accreditation Commission; and was the Association’s first female President.
  • Chief Stafford actively assisted Westat in developing the initial Clery Act Handbook for Campus Crime Reporting published by the U.S. Department of Education in 2005, and she participated on the U.S. Department of Education’s Handbook Review Committee in 2011.
  • Dolores Stafford was also retained by Virginia Tech as an expert witness and provided testimony in a hearing before an administrative law judge as part of the University’s appeal.