Law enforcement agencies across the country work with survivor advocates to make the process of reporting a sex-crime smoother for those affected.
This time in 2014, the Ohio University Police Department received six sex-related crime reports. This year, it’s received almost quadruple the amount.
So far, OUPD has received 23 reports of sex-related crime in 2015 that vary from alleged public indecency charges to alleged rapes.
Although that number may seem high, OUPD’s Lt. Tim Ryan said sex-related crimes may not be on the rise. He added that the high number of reports may just be part of increased reporting among survivors.
“I’d like to think it has something to do with maybe messaging and outreach, but it’s really hard to say,” Ryan said.
Ryan added that there is a countrywide effort to make the reporting process “an approachable one.”
In the past, Ohio University’s Survivor Advocacy Program worked very well with OUPD, Ryan said. Additionally, the Athens Police Department and the Athens County Sheriff’s Office each keep a survivor advocate on staff. Those advocates can be accessed by asking the department to talk to an advocate.
Delaney Anderson, the former program coordinator for OUSAP, left her position in October, leaving OUSAP without a licensed and credentialed program coordinator. The university is looking to reevaluate the position, and for now people are asked to reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services and Campus Care for confidential support, according to a previous Post report.
“I hope victims are seeing the support that’s out there and making the decision to report because of that,” Ryan said.
In the past six years, reports of sex-related crimes have fluctuated, with the last peak taking place in 2010 with 23 reports total.
Though OUPD has seen an increase in reports of sex-related crimes, the city of Athens has not, APD Chief Tom Pyle said.
“There’s two different environments we’re dealing with,” Pyle said. “You have the campus environment, and you have the off-campus environment.”
Even though the statistics for each location vary, Ryan said numbers don’t always accurately portray what’s really going on.
“Statistics are really hard for a police department to get our head around because it’s hard to tell if you’re actually deterring crime or not,” Ryan said, adding that it’s hard to say why incident rates are higher or lower from year to year.
Ryan said OUPD Chief Andrew Powers has conversations with other college police departments, and other campuses have also seen an increase in reports.
When someone approaches OUPD about reporting a sex-related crime, the department takes him or her through the steps before proceeding to an investigation.
“We start by explaining the process so that person knows what they’re about to get into if they choose to,” Ryan said.
Court processes, evidence collection and general investigation procedures for sexual assaults are discussed, Ryan said.
“Sometimes victims choose to go that road and pursue the criminal prosecution,” Ryan said. “Sometimes they do not.”
In Powers' recent email to university students, it was outlined that most of the sex-related crimes on campus this year started with consent, but it was revoked later in the encounter.
“When consent is revoked, you are committing a crime, and people need to know that,” Ryan said.
Some students on campus think the increase in conversations surrounding sex-related crimes may have helped students feel more comfortable reporting.
“I definitely think it’s been a really talked-about conversation this semester compared to last year,” Sasha Gough, a member of F--kRapeCulture, said.
Gough, a sophomore studying creative writing, said events like the video created by the university shown before The Hunting Ground, a documentary showing the mismanagement of sexual assault cases on college campuses, and discussions with professors in class are contributing to students' education on the topic.
“It’s slowly becoming more of a topic people are learning more about than years previous,” Gough said.
In her social deviance class, Gough said her class discussed the topic of rape.
Patty Stokes, an OU professor and the adviser for Body Consent, the sister group to F--kRapeCulture, talks about sexual assault in her classes as well, Gough said.
“Students are bringing it up more often, so teachers and professors have to talk about it a little bit more,” Gough said.
Although discussions throughout campus are evolving, Gough added that the uncertainty surrounding Ohio University's Survivor Advocacy Program is worrisome to students.
“SAP was the opposite choice. If you were to go to a professor, you’d have to report,” Gough said. “You could go to SAP and not have to report and still get all these different needs met.”
OUSAP provided someone to go to the hospital with you, among other resources, Gough said.
“SAP is kind of on the rocks,” Gough said. “It shows a lot how the university is prioritizing. It’s more about reporting than what the students might find comfortable.”
@Fair3Julia
jf311013@ohio.edu
