Winthrop’s campus police department (WUPD) follows strict procedures when conducting investigations into sexual assault. Sexual assault can lead to PTSD, depression and many other side effects, so WUPD takes these cases very seriously.
Wes Wiles, assistant chief of police, said that the process that occurs when a victim comes to WUPO can be extensive.
First, an official police incident report must be filled out. Then, the Office of Victims Assistance (OVA) is called to provide support for the person experiencing trauma.
If it is within the required time frame, the representative from OVA will go with the victim to the hospital to have a rape kit filled out. It is from here that WUPD will begin to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
“You can think of us as fact finders. We are not here to prove anyone right or wrong, we are here to collect the facts, so that they can be put together and understood… We are not doing anyone a service if we leave any stone unturned,” Wiles said.
Wiles said that once all the facts have been gathered, the process has just begun. If there is evidence that someone has committed a crime, the investigators will take all information to the solicitor. The solicitor will look over all facts and then determine whether there is enough to go forward with arrest.
The accused will still be allowed a bond hearing and if the bond is paid, will be allowed out of prison until their first court date. Court dates can take up to three years to occur and once in court, the victim must then face their attacker.
According to Wiles, this long process, in which the victims choose to have the police follow up with the alleged, is often one of the reasons victims choose not to prosecute.
“If you have somebody that is a victim, that has that kind of staying power that they’re going to stick with you through something like that, you know they’re going to be a good witness in court… If you have someone who, from the beginning, says ‘look this is too much,’ you also have to step back as a solicitor and as an officer and say ‘We understand,’” Wiles said.
Students can report anonymously instead of going through the public process of a sexual assault investigation. Due to Title IX, colleges are required to take accusations of assaults on campus seriously. These accusations can then be handled through the school, often resulting in suspension or expulsion for the guilty party.
Joan Harris is the coordinator of the Office of Victims Assistance. She said that students can report directly to the Dean of Students, or they can submit a report online. Anonymous reports can be filed with or without the victim and alleged attackers name, depending on if the person reporting would like repercussions to occur within the university system.
“Anonymous reporting gives people the ability to put out there that this thing happened to them. It can be very empowering for survivors. We suggest that, if this is something they can do, [because Title IX only applies to other students,] that they use it… this is a way to take back power. They have the ability to put into words what a person did to them through anonymous reporting,” Harris said.
Winthrop has many policies in place in regard to discerning the truth in sexual assault allegations. Students who have been attacked are encouraged to either contact WUPO or the Office of Victims Assistance.
