Definitions of Reportable Crimes
• Murder/Non-negligent Manslaughter:
The willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.
• Manslaughter by Negligence:
The killing of another person through gross negligence.
• Sexual Assault (Sex Offenses): Any sexual act directed against another person, without consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent.
Rape: the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus, with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim. Both males and females can be raped.
Fondling: the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity.
Incest:
Non-forcible sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.
Statutory Rape:
Non-forcible sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.
The State of Rhode Island definitions of Sexual Assault:
First degree sexual assault. – A person is guilty of first degree sexual assault if he or she engages in sexual penetration with another person, and if any of the following circumstances exist:
- Any forced, coerced penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth by any part of another's body or an object
- Lack of consent. This does not require physical resistance or verbal refusal. Someone who is asleep, drunk/intoxicated, or otherwise unable to give consent can be raped.
Second degree sexual assault. – A person is guilty of a second-degree sexual assault if he or she engages in sexual contact with another person and if any of the following circumstances exist:
- The accused knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally incapacitated, mentally disabled, or physically helpless.
- The accused uses force, element of surprise, or coercion.
- The accused engages in the medical treatment or examination of the victim for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or stimulation.
Third degree sexual assault. – A person is guilty of third degree sexual assault if he or she is over the age of eighteen (18) years and engaged in sexual penetration with another person over the age of fourteen (14) years and under the age of consent, sixteen (16) years of age.
• Robbery:
The taking, or attempt to take, anything of value under confrontational circumstances from the control, custody, or care of another person or persons by force, or threat of force, violence or by putting the victim in fear of immediate harm.
• Aggravated Assault:
An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm.
• Burglary (Breaking and Entering):
The unlawful entry into a building or structure with the intent to commit a felony or theft. Forced entry is not a required element of the offense, so long as the entry is unlawful (a trespass). The entry may be made through an unlocked door or window. Burglary includes unsuccessful attempts at entry using force or where an offender is frightened off while entering an unlocked door or open window.
• Motor Vehicle Theft:
The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.
• Arson:
Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle, aircraft, or personal property of another, etc.
• Hate Crime:
A criminal offense that manifests evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the perpetrator’s bias against the victim. Categories of bias include race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, and disability.
• Liquor Law Violation:
Any violation of any law or ordinance prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession or use of alcoholic beverages. Driving under the Influence of an intoxicating substance comes under a different statute as does “drunkenness”.
• Drug Abuse Violation:
The violation of laws prohibiting the production, distribution and/or use of certain controlled substances and the equipment or devices utilized in their preparation and/or use. The unlawful cultivation, manufacture, distribution, sale, purchase, use, possession, transportation or importation of any controlled drug or narcotic substance.
• Weapons Possession:
Any violation of any laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession, concealment or use of firearms, edged instruments, explosives, incendiary devices, or other deadly weapons.
• Domestic Violence:
The Violence Against Woman Act (VAWA) defines Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking:
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - A felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim; by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; by a person who is cohabitating with, or has cohabitated with, the victim as a spouse of intimate partner; by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred; by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred.
DATING VIOLENCE- defined as violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting party’s statement and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. For the purposes of this definition—
- Dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse.
- Dating violence does not include acts covered under the definition of domestic violence.
STALKING - defined as engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to—
- Fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or
- Suffer substantial emotional distress.
For the purposes of this definition—
- Course of conduct means two or more acts, including, but not limited to, acts in which the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about a person, or interferes with a person’s property.
- Reasonable person means a reasonable person under similar circumstances and with similar identities to the victim.
- Substantial emotional distress means significant mental suffering or anguish that may, but does not necessarily require medical or other professional treatment or counseling.
The State of RI defines Dating Violence, Domestic Violence and Stalking:
DATING VIOLENCE
(R.I.G.L. 16-22-24)
“Dating violence" means a pattern of behavior where one person uses threats of, or actually uses, physical, sexual, verbal or emotional abuse to control his or her dating partner.
The following words and phrases, when used in the above definition, have the following meanings:
"Dating partner" means any person involved in an intimate association with another primarily characterized by the expectation of affectionate involvement whether casual, serious or long term.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
(R.I.G.L. 12-29-2)
"Domestic violence" includes, but is not limited to, any of the following crimes when committed by one family or household
member against another:
(1) Simple assault (§ 11-5-3);
(2) Felony assaults (§§ 11-5-1, 11-5-2, and 11-5-4);
(3) Vandalism (§ 11-44-1);
(4) Disorderly conduct (§ 11-45-1);
(4) Trespass (§ 11-44-26);
(5) Kidnapping (§ 11-26-1);
(6) Child-snatching (§ 11-26-1.1);
(7) Sexual assault (§§ 11-37-2, 11-37-4)
(8) Homicide (§§ 11-23-1 and 11-23-3);
(9) Violation of the provisions of a protective order entered pursuant to § 15-5-19, chapter 15 of title 15, or chapter 8.1 of title 8 where the respondent has knowledge of the order and the penalty for its violation or a violation of a no contact order issued pursuant to § 12-29-4;
(10) Stalking (§§ 11-59-1 et seq.);
(11) Refusal to relinquish or to damage or to obstruct a telephone (§ 11-35-14);
(12) Burglary and Unlawful Entry (§ 11-8-1 et seq.);
(13) Arson (§ 11-4-2 et seq.);
(14) Cyber stalking and cyber harassment (§ 11-52-4.2); and
(15) Domestic assault by strangulation § 11-5-2.3.
The following words and phrases, when used in the above definition, have the following meanings:
"Family or household member" means spouses, former spouses, adult persons related by blood or marriage, adult persons who are presently residing together or who have resided together in the past three (3) years, and persons who have a child in common regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together, or if persons who are or have been in a substantive dating or engagement relationship within the past one(1) year which shall be determined by the court's consideration of the following factors:
(1) the length of time of the relationship;
(2) the type of the relationship;
(3) the frequency of the interaction between the parties.
"Victim" means a family or household member who has been subjected to domestic violence.
STALKING
(R.I.G.L. 11-59-1 through 11-59-2)
“Stalking” means when a person: (1) harasses another person; or (2) willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows another person with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear of bodily injury.
The following words and phrases, when used in the above definition, have the following meanings:
(1) "Course of conduct" means a pattern of conduct composed of a series of acts over a period of time, evidencing a continuity of purpose. Constitutionally protected activity is not included within the meaning of "course of conduct."
"Harasses" means a knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person with the intent to seriously alarm, annoy, or bother the person, and which serves no legitimate purpose. The course of conduct must be such as would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress, or be in fear of bodily injury.
Consent:
Consent is an informed agreement to participate in specific sexual acts. Consent is not achieved through manipulation, force or coercion of any kind. Consent requires the cognitive and emotional capacity to agree to sexual activity and, therefore, cannot be given in spite of any verbal declarations otherwise, by a person who is:
- intoxicated or unconscious from drug or alcohol use
- asleep or physically helpless
- below the age of consent
- temporarily or permanently incapacitated physically or psychologically
- mentally impaired or disabled to the extent that they are incapable of appraising the nature of the act.
Past consent is not considered consent or permission and, therefore, consent must be given for each instance of sexual activity, regardless of relationship status. Consent may be withdrawn at any time, including during sexual activity.
Sexual activity, of any kind, without consent, is considered sexual assault.
The state of Rhode Island defines coercion or force as when the accused:
- Uses, or threatens to use, a weapon or any article used or fashioned in a manner to lead the Victim to reasonably believe it to be a weapon.
- Overcomes the victim through the application of physical force or physical violence.
- Coerces the victim to submit by threatening to use force or violence on the victim and the victim reasonably believes that the accused has the present ability to execute these threats.
- Coerces the victim to submit by threatening to at some time in the future murder, inflict serious bodily injury upon or kidnap the victim or any other person and the victim reasonably believes that the accused has the ability to execute this threat.
ESCORT POLICY
It is the policy of the campus police to escort any individual that has concern for their personal well being. After making contact with an officer, explain what your concerns are. We do not provide vehicle escorts but will walk you to your on-campus destination. Please be patient if an officer cannot accompany you immediately.
You may call the campus police at one of the following numbers for assistance.
- Warwick 401-825-2109
- Lincoln 401-333-7035
- Providence 401-455-6050
- Newport 401-851-1620
TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
All traffic accidents that occur on campus must be reported to the college police as soon as possible. Police officers patrol the campus on foot and with patrol vehicles and should be summoned to the scene of any accident. Campus Police complete the same State of RI accident report form as state and local police. A report to police will allow the officers to call for the assistance of rescue, fire and additional police personnel. Any person who leaves the scene and fails to report an accident will be subject to the same penalties under Rhode Island Motor Vehicle Laws and, if a student, will be referred to the Dean of Students Office.