UT Police Adopt New Sexual Assault Response Guidelines
The guidelines are designed to help police handle reports of sexual violence.
Campus police in the University of Texas System will use a new blueprint when dealing with sexual violence victims and their cases.
The university announced the new guidelines, which it characterized as “victim-centered,” March 1 in a 170-page report, according to the Washington Times.
The report is one result of a $1.7 million sexual assault study undertaken by the university system that is expected to continue for several years.
The university hopes the guidelines will help police engage and understand students who are reporting sexual assaults.
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“We must publicly acknowledge our moral obligation to understand sexual assault for the life-altering and destructive experience it is, and be champions of those victimized,” UT System Police Director Michael Heidingsfield said.
The report was completed by UT System police and the university’s institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault. School officials said the blueprint gives campus police science-based information on how people deal with trauma, domestic violence and intimate partner violence.
The UT System employs 600 police on 14 separate campuses.
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