If you are sexually assaulted:

1. Get to a safe place.
2. Call a friend or someone you trust to be with you.
3. If you know you want to report to the police, call 911 and say, "I want to report an assault." You will need to give your name and other information (see below).
4. If you are not sure what you want to do, call Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center’s 24-hour hotline (564-3696). You do not have to give your name. The advocate will talk with you about your options, rights and choices.
5. You may also call or come to the UCSB Women’s Center Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. A staff member will help you with your decisions about what to do. You can contact the Women’s Center at 893-3778.
6. If you are not sure about reporting to the police for possible criminal charges but think you might want to later, you must make a police report now in order to obtain an evidence exam. The evidence exam can only be done if you make an official report. You have the right to change your mind later about being involved in a legal case.
7. If you definitely do not want to report to the police, it is still a good idea to have a medical exam to see if you were injured internally and to check for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. You can do this at the Student Health Service during normal hours of operation or have a private physician perform the exam.
8. It is important to note, however, that all health care providers (including Student Health Services) are legally required to report to the police any suspected sexual or physical assaults. This does not mean that you must talk to the police.

Reporting is the decision of the survivor. Understanding that reporting is an intensely personal process, and is considered empowering and therapeutic for some yet emotionally draining and unsatisfactory for others, the University respects the right of the survivor to decide whether or not to report.

Reporting a sexual assault to the police:

1. Call 911 and tell the dispatcher that you have been sexually assaulted and want to make a report. The dispatcher will ask for your name, location, phone number, and suspect information. The dispatcher will relay information to officers who will then come to your location, unless you request otherwise.
2. If you are up to it, write down details about the assault while you are waiting.
3. Do not eat, drink, wash, shower, go to the bathroom, douche, "clean up", or clean up the scene of the assault. As hard as this is, your body constitutes the evidence in a sexual assault case. If you have already done these things, it is still OK to make a report. Just be sure to let the officer know if you have done any of the above.
4. You have a right to have a Rape Crisis Center advocate and one additional support person of your choice present at any medical evidentiary or physical examination or interview by law enforcement, district attorneys or defense attorneys.
5. The police will call the Rape Crisis Center advocate who will be present to give you information and emotional support and explain any procedures you don’t understand.
6. If you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, this may be relevant to the case and something the officer needs to know. The focus of the investigation is the assault, not your drug or alcohol use.
7. The officer will give you her or his business card with your case number on it. Save this so that you can have easy access to your case when you call for follow-up information.
8. In order to provide protection for the privacy of survivors of sexual assault, California law allows complainants to request that the police not release personal information—name, address, phone numbers and date of birth. This will ensure a degree of confidentiality but does not guarantee complete anonymity.
9. If you remember more details after reporting the incident you can call the officer to make additions to your statement.
10. Many victims do not report offenses immediately. The police will accept a report at any time and encourage late reporting over no reporting at all. Sometimes assailants are apprehended based on information from late reports. You may also choose to make an anonymous report to the police and/or campus security authorities.

The District Attorney chooses to pursue cases depending upon the degree of evidence and availability and cooperation of witnesses. If the complaint is rejected for criminal prosecution or action through the judicial system, it is not necessarily, or even usually, based on the accuracy of the charges, but rather on the strength of the evidence available. In other words, if a case does not proceed to prosecution in court, it does not mean there is no victim or there was no sexual assault.

Other options:

Survivors of sexual assault may:

1. File a criminal report with the police even if you don’t want prosecution. (Ultimately the decision to prosecute is made by the District Attorney although the cooperation of the survivor is considered necessary.)
2. Ask the campus Judicial Affairs Office (link to their site) to investigate an incident through the campus judicial process if the perpetrator is a UCSB student. See the UCSB Sexual Assault Policy and Procedures.
3. Report to both the police and campus conduct system.
4. File a civil suit against the perpetrator.
5. Seek to obtain a restraining order.
6. Request academic assistance for missed classes or exams, or help with rearranging your coursework.
7. Ask to be moved if both you and the accused live in UCSB housing, or request that the accused be moved pending a campus conduct committee hearing.

Rape Prevention Education Program (RPEP)

This office is designated to assist those who have been assaulted, either recently or in the past, or who have questions about sexual assault, dating and relationship violence, domestic violence, stalking, and child sexual abuse. RPEP, located in the Women’s Center, will provide free, confidential assistance to anyone who desires help with all of the procedures and information outlined above. The Rape Prevention Education Program will advise non-University affiliated survivors; however, other campus resources may be available only to students, staff or faculty.

Whether or not you decide to report to law enforcement, you should talk to someone who is knowledgeable and trained about sexual assault so that you can start the process of recovering.

Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center’s 24-hour hotline: 564-3696

UCSB Women’s Center: 893-3778; RPEP Director: Carol Mosely