The Athens Police Department received three reports of sex-related crimes this week, and the release of the APD annual report for 2016 showed an increase in service calls from 2015. OU’s athletic department announced a new apparel sponsorship.
City sees spike in sexual assault reports
During the past week, APD received three reports of sexual assault.
On Monday, a juvenile girl reported that a man she knew sexually assaulted her on the south side of Athens. The incident allegedly occurred Sunday, according to an APD report.
The department also received two reports of rape Wednesday.
Two women reported the incidents at 2 a.m. and told an officer that someone they knew raped them on the north end of Athens between November 2016 and February 2017.
Rape, nuisance and suicide calls increased in 2016, according to APD annual report
APD released its annual report Tuesday, and statistics show an increase in calls for service for rape, nuisance party violations and suicide in 2016.
The department received 40 rape-related service calls in 2016, continuing a trend of annual rape report increases in the past five years. The department received 18 reports of rape in 2013, 26 in 2014 and 33 in 2015.
Local police have indicated that an increase in rape-related service calls does not necessarily mean there has been an increase in rape incidents. The reports could mean that rape survivors are becoming more comfortable coming forward.
Nuisance party service calls have increased in 2016, with a total of 130 calls, up from 99 in 2015, which is above the department's 12-year average of 32.
The department also saw an increase in calls about suicide and suicide attempts, with 78 total calls in 2016, up from 48 in 2015.
In total, the APD received a total of 11,843 service calls in 2016, an increase from 10,972 in 2015 and above the average of 11,262 per year from 2004 to 2016.
Ohio sports teams will wear Adidas apparel
The OU athletic department signed an eight-year apparel contract with Adidas, lasting through the 2024-25 athletic season.
The new deal will end a 10-year partnership with Russell Athletic, which provided the university with jerseys and other equipment over the past decade.
OU was the only school in the Mid-American Conference that had a sponsorship deal with Russell. The deal was the most lucrative contract in the MAC, with OU receiving $397,500 per year, according to a previous Post report.
"Russell has been a great partner over the past ten years and we appreciate all that they have done for Ohio,” athletic director Jim Schaus said in a news release. “Our teams will continue to wear their products through June of 2017.”
