In offering choices for investigation, VCU Police empower survivors of sexual assault

By Amelia Heymann

Among the range of traumas they confront, survivors of sexual assault often cite loss of control. When Virginia Commonwealth University's Police Department adopted the You Have Options Program - in 2016, the goal was to empower them in the reporting and investigative process.

"One of the reasons we have this program is so that we are able to give that power back and allow the survivor of a sexual assault to do what they're comfortable with doing, and providing what information they're comfortable with providing," said Det. Sgt. K. Lee Olds Jr., the You Have Options Program coordinator for VCU Police and interim deputy chief of police.

VCU was the first college on the East Coast to implement the program, which started in Oregon. Olds noted that many survivors have been reluctant historically to report their experiences to authorities, based on mistrust of police methods and attitudes. In recent decades, departments have revisited how they investigate sexual assault, and giving survivors the agency to shape investigations is among the outcomes.

Officer Cierra Eldridge, the victim/witness coordinator for VCU Police, listed three reporting choices available to survivors: making an information-only report, initiating a preliminary or partial investigation and pursuing a full police investigation.

With an information-only report, detectives will only gather data. They may try to collect and preserve potential evidence, such as bulk footage or physical material, but the report does not trigger an investigation phase that could lead to interviews or criminal charges. Survivors can share as little or as much information as they want, and it will be entered into a police report.

Initiating a preliminary or partial investigation will lead to police interviews with potential suspects and witnesses, as well as a more expansive search for evidence. For example, officers could serve search warrants for cellphone records or text messages. Olds said this type of investigation stops before any case would be presented to prosecutors.

In a full police investigation, VCU Police would consult with the Commonwealth Attorney's Office to decide whether charges might be filed based on the evidence available. The prosecutor's office then controls the case going forward, and arrests and court proceedings could follow.

In giving survivors the choice of how, or if, to proceed, Eldridge said the message is akin to "I know we can't take that trauma away … but what we can do is give you the power and give you the option to report and seek justice in a way that suits you best."

Olds emphasized that VCU Police, recognizing how some choices could be too triggering for survivors, will follow their lead.

"People think that they report something to the police, the police take that information and then they just run with it - that they don't consult [or] worry about how the survivor feels or what they wish for," he said. "In actuality for us, we'll take as much or as little information as the survivor or the third party is willing to share. … Really, we just want people to report it" - whether to VCU Police, the Richmond Police Department or VCU's Title IX office - "and we're going to provide any and every opportunity for them to do so."

No matter how survivors choose to move forward, Eldridge said VCU Police will provide resources, such as court transportation or a protective order.

"We are here for them throughout the process until they no longer want us a part of the process," she said.

VCU Police officer Cierra Eldridge speaks with a community member at a Start by Believing event at the University Student Commons Plaza in April 2024. The event featured resource tables from offices internal and external to VCU. (Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

The You Have Options Program has elements beyond survivor empowerment. Trauma-informed training of police offers is crucial as well.

Olds noted that survivors react differently to their traumas, "and to conduct an appropriate interview and an appropriate investigation, it's extremely important that those detectives understand - or can be empathetic and knowledgeable toward - how that trauma affects the survivor of a sexual assault."

When an incident is reported, trained victim/witness officers will respond to the scene to take the report, he said. "It's not just your run-of-the-mill police officer that's going to show up with no understanding of what You Have Options Program is or what the survivor is suffering."

Olds added that believing survivors is the foundation of any interaction, as emphasized in VCU's Start by Believing campaign. Historically, police in general may not have taken reports of sexual assault as seriously as other crimes, or were more likely to doubt the reporter. Now, regardless of what kind of assault has occurred, "we believe our survivors from the time of the report," he said - and this baseline helps survivors feel like they are being taken seriously from the start.

"One of the things that all of our victim/witness officers are trained in is, when they take those initial reports, to express that right away - that it's courageous for you to be coming forward and reporting this," Olds said. "It doesn't matter whether it happened 30 minutes ago or it happened 20 years ago. The courage it takes to come forward and report a case of sexual assault is huge."

The officers also will take survivors to a "soft interview room" rather than a typical interrogation room, which may suggest a harsher and triggering environment. The soft interview room has lower lightning and comfort items to make survivors feel more at ease.

VCU Police then work with a network of individuals and organizations to help survivors, including University Counseling Services, a forensic nurse examiner, Project Empower through VCU Health, the YWCA of Richmond and the prosecutor's office.

The department also accepts anonymous and third-party reports if someone witnesses or knows of a sexual assault. Police will take the report and will share resources with the person, so that they can provide it to the survivor.

Ultimately, VCU Police want survivors to reach out when they are ready.

"What I normally tell people - if they talk to me and they're like, 'I don't really know what I want to do' - [is] take your time, think about it, and get back with me," Eldridge said. "But my most important goal is to let people know you're not alone, and I'm here."

If you would like more information about this program or other resources for sexual assault survivors, visit police.vcu.edu/sexual_violence/victim_witness_program.html. You can also contact officer Eldridge directly during business hours at 804-828-9748 or via email at [email protected].

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