Crime Incident Procedures

University students are citizens of the local, state and national governments and of the academic community, and are, therefore, expected to conduct themselves as law-abiding members of the community at all times. The university has established a judicial process for correcting discrepancies in student conduct that only affect university policy. Should an incident of a criminal nature occur in violation of local, state or federal laws, University Police will investigate the incident and initiate the required legal actions in the courts of law. If assistance is needed, the Cookeville Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) or Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may be contacted. The University Police Department has excellent working relations with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and cooperates with them to maintain a current, well-adjusted system of law enforcement procedures. Reports are made annually to the TBI as required by the College and University Security Information Act, TCA 317, May 8, 1989.

Sexual Assault

If you are a victim of sexual assault, your choices and rights will be respected by University Police who are available to help you with your decisions and course of action. These resources are available to you. Choose which one(s) you call based your level of comfort.

TTU Counseling Center 372-3331
Genesis House Sexual Assault Response Center 526-5197
Cookeville Regional Medical Center 528-2541
University Police 911 or 372-3234
Cookeville Police 911 or 526-2125

 

What should you do after a sexual assault or rape?

• Tell Someone
  Call someone —a friend, a counselor, anyone you feel comfortable talking to.

• Seek Medical Attention
  You could be injured, become pregnant or have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease. Medical attention is available at Genesis House’s Sexual Assault Response Center or Cookeville Regional Medical Center.

• Preserve Physical Evidence
  Don’t bathe, shower or clean yourself. If possible, don’t brush your teeth, smoke, urinate, drink or change your clothes. If you have changed clothes, put the clothes you were wearing at the time of the assault in a paper bag.

• Obtain Counseling
  TTU Counseling Center staff members can be reached evenings and weekends through TTU Police. Genesis House provides counseling 24 hours a day. All counseling is strictly confidential.

• Reporting: the Decision is Yours:
  It is your decision to report a sexual assault to law enforcement. Reporting a rape or sexual assault to University Police or university officials does not initiate criminal charges. Such action creates a record should you decide to sign a criminal complaint. TTU Police and Residential Life must inform the university administration that an alleged sexual assault has occurred. An investigation and university judicial proceedings may occur independent of your involvement. Once a criminal complaint is filed, a prosecutor may decide to prosecute independent of your decision to bring charges. Genesis House Sexual Assault Response Center is not required to report sexual assault to law enforcement unless you choose to do so. If you seek medical attention at Cookeville Regional Medical Center or TTU Health Services, a report will be made to law enforcement.

• Every two minutes in America, another woman is raped (RAINN, 2002).
• Over 12 million American adult women have been victims of forcible rape.*
• 1 in 4 women will be a victim of sexual assault by age 18.*
• 1 in 7 men will be a victim of sexual assault by age 18.*
• 80% of sexual assault victims are under age 30 (NCVS, 1999).
• Only 1 in 4 rapes are reported to the police (NCVS, 1999).
• About 4 out of 5 rape victims know the person that attacks him/her.*
• Nearly 6 out of 10 sexual assaults occur at the victims home or the home of a friend,
  relative, or neighbor (Greenfield, 1997; US Department of Justice, 1997).
• Seven states set new records for reported rapes in 1990 - Tennessee was one of them.*
• The United States has the world's high rape rate of the countries that publish such
  statistics...13 times higher than in England and more than 20 times more than Japan
  (Senate Judiciary Committee, 1990).
• Nearly one-third of all rape victims develop rape related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  at some point in their lives (CVRC, 1992).

• 1 in 6 college-aged women reports being raped during her college career.*
• 57% of college rape victims are attacked on dates (Senate Judiciary Committee, 1990).
• 1 in 10 college-aged men admits to using excessive force to gain sex (Koss, Woodruff,
  and Koss, 1990).
• At least 75% of college date rapes involve alcohol and/or drugs (CORE Alcohol and Drug
  Survey, 1998).
• Nine out of 10 women raped on campus did not report the assault (Rape Treatment Center,
  Santa Monica, 1995).

Safe Dating Advise

Did you know that dating could be dangerous? About 57% of all sexual assaults occur on a date. Please follow these suggestions to reduce your risk of being assaulted.

• Meet a first date or a blind date with friends or in a public place.

• Arrange for your own transportation, so you can leave if you are in an uncomfortable situation.

• Always carry enough money for a phone call or a taxi.

• Trust your feelings. If someone's behavior makes you nervous, leave immediately.

• Be careful not to let alcohol or other drugs decrease your ability to take care of yourself.

• Don't leave your drink unattended or take open drinks from anyone other than a bartender or server.
  Sedating drugs can be slipped into your drink by a potential rapist.

• Don't leave a party, concert or any other event with someone you just met or don't know well.

• Let someone know who you are meeting, where you are going, and when you expect to return.

• Decide what your sexual limits are before you get into a sexual situation.

• Communicate your sexual limits with a firm tone of voice and clear body language.

• Assert yourself-demand to be treated with respect!

Does your date...

• Insist on controlling everything and making all decisions?

• Act extremely jealous or possessive?

• Abuse alcohol or drugs or pressure you to use them?

• Act violent, get angry easily, or scare you?

• Insist on having sex when you don't want to?

• Invade your personal boundaries?

• Ignore the limits you set?

These could be early warning signs of dating violence.  If you notice any of these or similar behaviors, get out of the situation or relationship immediately!  For more information, please contact the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center at (901) 272-2020 (V/TDD).

Sexual Assault & Drugs

Below are the names, definitions, and effects of drugs that have been used to facilitate sexual assaults.

It's Possible for people who were sexually assaulted and suspect that they were drugged to be tested for the presence of drugs. These drugs can usually be detected in urine for about three days after ingestion, sometimes even a little longer. However, the sooner someone is tested, the better.

Most rape crisis centers and hospitals will be able to run these tests. Individuals who suspect they have been drugged and sexually assaulted are encouraged to contact their local law enforcement as soon as possible after the assault. Law enforcement can get the individual to a site where she/he can be treated and tested for the presence of intoxicants.

Helpful Hints on Avoiding Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault

• Never go to a bar, party, or social event alone.

• Use the buddy system. Pair up with a pal you can trust and NEVER leave without your pal.

• Get your own drink. Watch the drink be opened and poured into your glass, or open the drink yourself.

• Don't drink anything that has a different taste, is cloudy, or is a different color.

• Don't leave a drink unattended. If you do, throw out the old drink and get another one.

• Don't leave a bar or party with someone you've just met. Warn others of high-risk situations.

• Never accept a drink from someone you do not know or someone you do not know very well.

• Avoid open drinks, such as punch.

• Avoid smoking any substance offered to you; you can't really know what it is.

• Avoid ingesting any pills or liquid offered to you; you can't really know what it is.

• Know your limit when drinking alcohol and stick to it. Drinking too much can result in a walking black-out which means you may appear to be sober, but you can't remember what you have done.

• If you feel dizzy, queasy, "too drunk" based on what you know you have ingested, or otherwise "odd" seek help from a trusted friend or call 911.

Rape Myths vs. Rape Facts

Myth: Rape is based on sexual desire.
Fact: Power and control are the primary motives for rape--not sex.

Myth: People who are raped ask for it in some way.
Fact: Rape is a violent crime. It is often humiliating, terrifying and degrading to the victim.  No one asks to be raped.

Myth: The way a woman dresses or behaves can cause her to be raped.
Fact: The victim is never responsible for a rape. The rapist is the only one to blame.

Myth: "No" means "talk me into it."
Fact: "No" means "No."

Myth: If your date is drunk or high, its okay to have sex with him/her.
Fact: If a person is not capable of giving consent, (high, drunk, etc.) you are raping him or her if you have sex.

Myth: Men who rape are insane.
Fact: Anyone could be a rapist. Most rapist look and act like everyone else.

Myth: Men cannot be raped.
Fact: 1 in 10 victims of rape are male.

Myth: Women report rape to get revenge or because they feel guilty for having sex.
Fact: Rape is not a crime reported easily or on a whim. In fact, only about 1 out of 4 rapes are ever reported.

Myth: Stranger rape is real rape; date rape is not really rape.
Fact: Rape in any form is a felony crime. Acquaintance rape is the most common type of rape: about 80% of victims are raped by someone they know; 57% of rapes are "date rapes."

Myth: Most rape victims suffer visible physical injuries during an attack. If there are no injuries, there was no rape.
Fact: Over 2/3 of rape victims, fearing injury or death, do not resist an attack; therefore, there are rarely visible injuries.

Myth: It can't happen to me.
Fact: Anyone is a potential victim regardless of sex, age, race, or income level.

The Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center provides free confidential services including medical exams, preventative medicines for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, counseling legal advocacy, and community education. This information is presented to you by the City of Memphis and the Tennessee Department of Health.  You can receive free 24-hour confidential help by calling (901) 272-2020.

1. Always interact with any buddy you see violating - verbally or physically - a woman's space.

2. Don't join in if friends egg you on to participate in paying unwanted sexual attention to a woman at a party, in a bar, or on the street.

3. Don't ogle, whistle at, talk to, or look over women in ways that make them feel uncomfortable. If you aren't sure what makes a woman feel uncomfortable, ask her.

4. Never put the blame on a woman who you've heard was raped by saying things like: "she shouldn't have gone there/worn that/drank that." None of these things excuses a crime as heinous as rape.

5. Never believe that only attractive women get raped, or imply a man wouldn't have raped a woman because "she isn't pretty." Rape is a crime of aggression, dominance, and violence, not a beauty contest.

6. When a woman says "no," believe her. Never imagine "no" means "maybe" or "yes." Abandon the dangerous myth that women just can't admit they want sex and men have to overcome their hesitation. "No" means "no."  Always.

7. If a woman says "maybe," but then decides "no," take no for an answer. Woman have the right to set limits on sexual behavior -- just as you do.

8. If you feel you're getting a double message, say so. Ask her what she wants. If she says she isn't sure, assume the answer is no and let it go.

9. Never think a woman owes a man sex, under any circumstances. Sexual intercourse is not payback for an expensive meal or any evening out on the town.

10. Never voice, believe, or support the idea that a woman "wanted it." If you heard that a buddy who was tossed in jail for one night was raped, would you think he "wanted it?"

Alcoholic Beverages

The use and/or possession of alcoholic beverages on university-owned or university controlled property is prohibited.

Drugs

The unlawful possession or use of any drug or controlled substance (including any stimulant, depressant, narcotic or hallucinogenic drug or substance) or sale of distribution of any such drug or substance is prohibited on university-owned or university-controlled property.