Security and Safety
Policies and procedures for safeguarding the security of students, staff, and others on the premises of New England Law | Boston (including the Annual Security Report under the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990)
It is a goal of the law school to maintain a crime-free environment where students, staff and all others on the premises may be secure in their persons and their possessions. Although the school is in a downtown location, it has been fortunate in that very few crimes have been experienced by members of its community. The following policies have nonetheless been adopted to promote vigilance and crime prevention.
Students and others are encouraged to report all criminal activities or other emergencies occurring on the premises of New England Law | Boston to the New England Law security personnel. Security personnel will be at the security desk, immediately inside the front door of 154 Stuart Street, at all times when that building is open. A security guard will also be at the security desk, immediately inside the front door of 46 Church Street, at all times when that building is open. All security personnel are under the supervision of the director of facilities and security (Anthony Giordano 617-422-7286; e-mail: agiordano@nesl.edu).
The security personnel are authorized to respond appropriately to such criminal actions or emergencies, including issuing warnings to alleged offenders, ejecting alleged offenders from the building, calling upon the Boston Police and Massachusetts State Police, and detaining alleged offenders until the arrival of police officers. New England Law security personnel have a good working relationship with the Boston Police Department and with the Massachusetts State Police, both of which departments have responded promptly to calls from New England Law security personnel in the past. The New England Law security personnel are instructed to report all crimes occurring on property controlled by New England Law to the Boston Police Department. In addition, such crimes and other incidents must be reported to the Manager of Facilities and Security, who enters them in the school’s crime log and reports them as soon as possible to the dean’s office. The dean’s office will then determine whether the nature of the crime is such that it is necessary to issue a warning to members of the New England Law community regarding the occurrence of the crime. (The Dean’s Office will issue that warning. If the crime is one of those listed at the end of this section, such a warning will always be issued.)
The school’s security personnel will also accompany any student, on request, to any nearby subway station or parking garage, so the student can leave the law school secure in his or her safety.
Students and others may also report any criminal activity, on a confidential basis or otherwise, to an associate dean. The dean who is the recipient of such a report will see that any crime so reported is entered in the school’s crime log and will see that the crime is reported to the Boston Police Department. The recipient of the report will also refer the report to the dean’s office for a determination of whether to issue a warning regarding the occurrence of the crime, as set forth above.
The property under the control of New England Law | Boston consists of the main building, located at 154 Stuart Street, and the annex buildings, located at 46 Church Street, 29 Winchester Street, and 31 St. James Street. The school has policies concerning security and access to these buildings. Access to these buildings is limited to the following hours:
154 Stuart Street
Monday-Friday 7:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Saturday (Library only) 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday (Library only) 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Holidays (varies – see posted library hours)
46 Church Street
Monday-Friday 7:30 AM - 9:00 PM (during the school year)
Weekend and holiday access must be arranged through the security desk at 154 Stuart Street.
29 Winchester Street
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
31 St. James Street
Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The school's security personnel control access to all New England Law buildings.
The consumption of alcoholic beverages in moderation is considered by many to be an acceptable social custom. Drinking to excess, however, is not only detrimental to academic endeavor but is potentially dangerous to health, frequently produces destructive behavior, is likely to cause irresponsible use of motor vehicles or other equipment, and often impairs interpersonal interaction. For these reasons, New England Law does not condone any but moderate use of alcohol by any member of the law school community, including alumni, faculty, staff, and students. New England Law does not allow the possession, use or sale of alcoholic beverages in areas under its control without the written permission of the dean. That permission is given only in rare circumstances, such as a reception following a major school event.
Possession and use of illicit drugs and other controlled substances is contrary to New England Law’s standards of conduct and is a violation of federal and Massachusetts law. The law school does not condone the use, manufacture, distribution, or sale of illegal drugs. New England Law students or employees using or otherwise involved with illegal drugs will be subject to appropriate law school action in addition to any action taken by local, state, or federal authorities.
As part of its compliance with the federal Drug-Free School in Communities Act, New England Law has developed a policy directed to both students and employees regarding the use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and other controlled substances. The policy is effective on the institution’s property and affects all of the law school’s activities. A copy of that policy (New England Law| Boston Drug and Alcohol Policy Handbook) can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office.
It is the policy of New England Law | Boston that no member of the New England Law community (students, faculty, staff, and others visiting or conducting business with the law school or participating in its activities) may sexually harass any other member of the community. Such conduct is unlawful and it will not be tolerated by the law school. The law school has a sexual harassment policy which forbids sexual harassment of law school students in school, of law school employees in the workplace, and of students, employees, or third persons in any school-related or work-related activity. The school’s sexual harassment policy can be found in the Student Handbook: Rules and Regulations, in the Faculty Rules, and in the New England Law | Boston Employee Manual for Non-Teaching Personnel.
Annual Security Report and Related Information
New England Law is required by federal regulation to collect and report statistics for the three most recent calendar years concerning the occurrence of the following crimes on campus or in non-campus buildings or property or on public property adjacent to the campus, provided that the crimes have been reported to local police agencies or to a campus security authority. (New England Law does not have non-campus buildings or property.) These statistics are compiled by the Dean’s Office from the incidence reports entered in the New England Law crime log (described above) and from information provided by the Boston Police Department.
Annual Security Report (fall 2010)
Annual Security Report Addendum (fall 2010)
Notes:
- The contact number for the Sex Offenders Registry Unit for registered sex offenders in the surrounding area is 617-343-4965.
- The Campus Crime and Security Survey required by the Clery Act only includes a limited geographical area adjacent to the law school. Boston Police Department statistics include a larger area around the school. If you wish to look at the statistics provided by the Boston Police Department for the surrounding areas, please contact Jacqui Pilgrim, director of student services, at 617-422-7401.