: Victims who do not wish to pursue criminal or judicial action can often file confidential reports . These reports help institutions track patterns of activity and improve community safety while protecting the victim's identity.

: Contact that is merely affectionate and not for the purpose of real or simulated overt sexual gratification is typically excluded from this definition. Reporting and Statistics

Fondling is a mandatory reportable offense for institutions under the Jeanne Clery Act .

: Legal statutes, such as those in Michigan , define "erotic fondling" as touching a person's clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or breasts (including developing breast areas in children).

: Law enforcement agencies report fondling incidents to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to help quantify national crime trends. Investigation Procedures

Definitions of fondling focus on the intent of the actor and the nature of the contact:

: Educational institutions must disclose statistics for fondling incidents in their annual crime reports to the Department of Education .