The New York State Police Campus Sexual Assault Victims Unit (CSAVU) is hosting its second annual Campus Sexual Assault Seminar in Albany this week. The seminar is part of the CSAVU’s annual outreach and training program, which supports the unit’s mission to reduce sexual violence on college campuses statewide.
More than 270 participants registered for the seminar, which continues through Wednesday, October 4, at the State Police Academy on the Harriman State Office Building Campus in Albany. The stakeholders attending the conference include members of the law enforcement community, campus public safety officials, Title IX coordinators, campus administrators, faculty and staff, victim advocates, medical professionals, prosecutors and attorneys.
State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said, “Our investigators have done a tremendous job building relationships with New York’s colleges and universities and providing effective prevention education and training to help reduce sexual assaults on campuses. Seminars such as this reinforce their collaboration with the schools, our law enforcement partners and other stakeholders throughout the state in helping to keep our campuses safe and bring justice for victims.”
New York State Police Technical Lieutenant Gary Kelly, who oversees the CSAVU said, “This is an extension of our Campus Sexual Assault Victims Unit’s efforts to raise awareness and combat sexual assault on college campuses. This gives stakeholders across all disciplines, from law enforcement and campus administrators to victim advocates, a unique opportunity to learn from experts in the field, talk with their peers and address what we are doing right and what we can do better.”
The three-day seminar features experts who will present on a number of topics, including investigation of sexual assault cases, victim trauma and victims’ rights, unconscious bias, and the predatory nature of sexual violence on college campuses.
The seminar complements ongoing outreach efforts by the State Police CSAVU, which has been attending college orientation sessions and providing training for students and other stakeholders across the state.
The State Police CSAVU was created by the landmark “Enough is Enough” legislation signed into law by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in July of 2015. The mission of the CSAVU is to reduce the incidence and facilitate the reporting of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking on college and university campuses, through a prevention education campaign, a response training program, and by providing support and assistance to students, faculty and staff, university police, campus safety, local law enforcement, and victim advocates. The unit also investigates campus sexual crimes that are reported to the State Police, and provides investigative support as requested by campus and local law enforcement agencies.
Eleven State Police Senior Investigators assigned to the unit have been located regionally across the state, and provide training and serve as a resource for students, college and university staff, campus and local police, and victim advocates.
The CSAVU has also held regional training conferences in Syracuse, Schenectady, Buffalo, Geneseo, Clinton and Albany as well as multi-day training events across the state.
Since its inception, the Campus Sexual Assault Victims Unit has visited every college and university campus in New York State, conducted more than 324 educational presentations, and participated in more than 2381 hours of training. The unit has also investigated or assisted in the investigations of over 143 college sexual assault cases, resulting in 28 arrests.
The State Police have also established a statewide hotline for victims to request State Police assistance. That number is: 844-845-7269. For more information about the CSAVU visit troopers.ny.org.