Campus Sexual Assaults: How Community Policing Can Make a Difference

Clery Act Allows for Confidential Crime Reporting

It is also noteworthy to consider the confidential crime reporting feature under the Jeanne Clery Act known as the Campus Security Author
ity (CSA) program (34 CFR 668.46(a). Due to the discrepancies between the rates of police reports versus self reports of sexual assaults, the Clery Act provides a mechanism for confidential reporting of all crimes, including sexual assaults.

However, in order for the spirit of this law to be realized, specific training must occur with key campus staff, campus police and administrators in advance.

Training should include an overview of the CSA program and how CSAs are defined, how they report crimes, where they submit the reports, how to complete the paperwork, and what locations are considered to be the jurisdiction of the institution. The U.S. Department of Justice reported that only 37 percent of colleges and universities were complying with federal mandates about sexual assault reporting. Furthermore, institutions were confused on how to define sexual assault, exacerbating the underreporting issue.

Self-Defense Training Keeps Students Safe

Self-defense programs are a natural fit for most campus law enforcement and security departments. Many departments already have one or more officers who are well trained and serve as self-defense instructors for department personnel. With minimal training, these highly qualified individuals can offer similar self-defense, rape awareness and educational classes to the most vulnerable members of the campus community – first year students.

Depending on the program – and there are several – an investment in equipment may also be required. One prominent training program in this arena is called the Rape Aggression Defense Systems (RAD). Combining education, assault prevention, and awareness with self-defense is a robust approach towards an overall prevention strategy. This particular platform offers an intensive approach for both the RAD instructors and the students. However, the amount of time needed to complete the instructional delivery may not always be feasible. Following the classroom portion, RAD instructors are outfitted in a protective suit that allows students to deliver blows, blocks and actively resist a potential male attacker. The specialized suit can be costly but is well worth the expense. Grants are often available that will offset the training and equipment costs of these types of programs, provided that the commitment and partnership is already in place.

Another prominent program is Rape Escape by the Women’s Self Defense Institute. The motto of this organization is “Fight Like A Girl,” and the premise in this shorter self defense program is how to prevent a sexual assault once the attacker is already on top of you. Both of these programs are suitable for a campus population and can be implemented through student orientation, residential life programs, and other outreach mechanisms throughout the academic year. Studies have analyzed these types of prevention/resistance programs with positive results.

Forceful physical resistance, verbal resistance and fleeing have all been shown through research to be some of the most effective strategies in preventing a sexual assault. Moreover, teaching both self-defense skills and assertiveness training have bolstered self-esteem in women and provides them with the skills needed to resist unwanted sexual advances and physical assaults.