Missing Persons

Suzanne's Law

“Suzanne’s Law” amends Section 3701 (a) of the Crime Control Act of 1990 so that there is no waiting period before a law enforcement agency initiates an investigation of a missing person under the age of twenty one and reports the missing person to the National Crime Information Center of the Department of Justice.

“Suzanne’s Law” is named after Suzanne Lyall a student at State University of New York at Albany, who has been missing since 1998. Previously, police were only mandated to report missing persons under the age of eighteen. This law was signed by President Bush as part of the national Amber Alert bill on April 30, 2003, requires police to initiate prompt investigation into missing young people.

 

Wagner College complies with this law and will immediately report such missing persons to the NCIC.
In accordance with the Higher Education Act of 2008, all students may register a confidential contact with the Dean of Students Office. The confidential contact does not have to be a parent of a student. This is the individual who will be contacted by police in the event the student is reported missing. This individual will be updated as to the progress of the investigation into the missing person. In the event a student is under 18 years of age, and had not been legally emancipated, the student’s parents will also be contacted.

Missing Persons Policy

Wagner College takes student safety very seriously.  The following policy and procedure has been established to assist in locating Wagner College students who live on campus housing, who, based on the fact and circumstances known to Wagner College have been determined to be missing.

Dean of Students Information to Resident Students

At the beginning of each academic year, Wagner College Dean of Students will inform all students residing in on campus housing that the Dean of Students will notify either a parent or an individual selected by the student not later than 24 hours after the time that the student is deemed to be missing.  The information provided to the resident students will include the following:

  • Resident students have the option of identifying an individual to be contacted by the Dean of Students not later than 24 hours after the time that the student has been determined to be missing.  Students can register this confidential contact information through the Dean of Students Office.
  • If the student is under 18 years of age, and not an emancipated individual, the Dean of Students is required to notify a custodial parent or guardian not later than 24 hours after the time that the student is determined to be missing.
  • The Department of Campus Safety will notify the appropriate local law enforcement agency not later than 24 hours after the time that the student is determined to be missing.
  • If the Department of Campus Safety and/or the local law enforcement agency has been notified and makes a determination that a student who is the subject of a missing person report has been missing for more than 24 hours and has not returned to campus, the Dean of Students will initiate the emergency contact procedure in accordance with the student’s designation.

Department of Campus Safety

  • The Department of Campus Safety upon notification of a missing student will conduct a thorough investigation and obtain all necessary information.  the person’s description, clothes, who they may be with or where they may be , vehicle description and physical and mental well being of the individual will be obtained.
  • The Department of Campus Safety will conduct a quick, but thorough search of the campus buildings and parking lots using the student’s class schedule.
  • The Department of Campus Safety will also check access card logs to determine the last time the ID card was used as well as any surveillance video.
  • The Department of Campus Safety may also request assistance from Resident Assistants or others to assist in a search on campus.  The Department of Campus Safety may issue an ID card photograph to assist in the identification of the missing student.
  • After a search has been conducted with negative results, the Department of Campus Safety will notify the local law enforcement agency.