How Unnecessary Data Reporting Requirements Turned a $44 Theft into a $10,000 Federal Headache

New America’s Ben Miller today published an op-ed in Roll Call detailing how one college’s $44 theft turned into a $10,000 fine to the federal government. Removing some of the reporting requirements for on-campus crime could leave more time to tackle important and serious issues like violent crime and sexual assault. He writes:

How a six-year-old custodial caper morphed into massive monetary damages illustrates where well-intentioned federal data collection turns into unproductive burden. Given the significant interest on Capitol Hill about federal burden affecting higher education cost, it’s a compelling example of where we’ve gone too far in what schools are asked to do.

Read the full op-ed here.