ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Police Benevolent Association has filed a complaint against the University at Albany, claiming a breakdown in reporting violent crimes.

Under the Clery Act, colleges participating in federal financial aid programs are required to report campus crime and daily police logs. The union is claiming that UAlbany students and staff are being left in the dark and being put at risk due to lack of communication by the administration.

The PBA is filing a complaint with the Department of Education, asking for an investigation of the college.

Since this January, three alleged rapes have been reported on campus without students and staff being notified immediately. The union is saying that one of the most egregious offenses was last year, when a sexual assault happened on campus and it took administration about 8 hours to notify the UAlbany community.

"Put this into context: University at Buffalo, another SUNY school, their standard is 15 minutes or less. And that makes sense," PBA Executive Director Daniel De Federicis said. "If you have a son or daughter or a family member that works here, and the campus knows about a violent crime, wouldn't you want them notified within minutes and not hours?"

The PBA has attempted to work with the school in the past on this issue. UAlbany sent a statement denying all of the allegations, saying notifications were appropriately made to students, and other factors play into the time frame in which notifications are sent, including not compromising police investigations.

The union also says that university police officers do not have the authority to send messages to the school body. Only senior administrators can.