Annual Security Report

1. GUIDELINES FOR ASSISTANCE
If you are raped or sexually assaulted:

• Get to a safe place as soon as you can.
• Try to preserve all physical evidence. Do not wash, use the toilet, or change clothing if you can avoid it. If you do change clothes, put all clothing you were wearing at the time of the attack in a paper, not plastic, bag.
• Get medical attention as soon as possible to make sure you are physically well and to collect important evidence in the event you may later wish to take legal action.
• Contact the MVPD at extension 5555 immediately.
• Talk with a counselor who will maintain confidentially, help explain your options, give you information, and provide emotional support.
• Contact someone you trust to be with you and support you.

Past Abuse
Many individuals experience sexual assault and never tell anyone about it at the time of the incident. If you were victimized weeks or years ago, assistance is still available to you. Talking with someone now may help you cope better with abuse from the past, whether it was rape, child sexual abuse, incest, or sexual harassment.

2. MEDICAL TREATMENT
It is important to seek immediate and follow-up medical attention for several reasons: first, to assess and treat any physical injuries you may have sustained; second, to determine the risk of sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy and take preventive measures; and third, to gather evidence that could aid criminal prosecution.

Physical evidence should be collected immediately, ideally within the first 24 hours. It may be collected later than this, but the quality and quantity of the evidence may be diminished.

Immediate Emergency Services  
A special exam should be conducted as soon as possible following an assault to make sure of your physical well being and to collect evidence that may be useful in criminal proceedings. Even if you have not been physically hurt, this special exam is strongly recommended to maintain all your legal options. The exam is performed by an emergency department physician or gynecologist. A nurse is present throughout the procedure, and a support person of your choice can also be present. Note: Ordinarily the police will be contacted by hospital personnel whenever they provide treatment for injuries resulting from a crime. If you seek treatment at a local hospital and the police are contacted, this does not mean that you have to proceed with criminal charges.

Non-Emergency Medical Procedures  
Even if you do not have evidence collected at the hospital, it is still important to get medical attention. An exam in this case should include treatment of any physical problems and various lab tests for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. This non-emergency treatment can be arranged with your family doctor.

3. COUNSELING AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

4. REPORTING TO THE MORAINE VALLEY POLICE DEPARTMENT
This should be done immediately. The reasons for reporting to the MVPD are: 1) to take action which may prevent further victimization, including issuing a crime alert to warn the campus community of an impending threat to their safety; 2) to apprehend the assailant; 3) to seek justice for the wrong that has been done to you; and 4) to have the incident recorded for purposes of reporting statistics about incidents that occurred on campus. If you choose to report the incident, a MVPD police officer will take a statement from you regarding what happened. The officer will ask you to describe the assailant(s) and may ask questions about the scene of the crime, any witnesses, and what happened before and after the incident. You may have a support person with you during this interview.

NOTE: Reporting an incident is a separate step from choosing to prosecute. When you file a report, you are NOT obligated to continue with legal proceedings or college disciplinary action. Remember, you can choose whether or not to participate in proceedings at any time.

5. CONFIDENTIAL REPORTING
If you are assaulted and do not want to pursue action with the college system or the criminal justice system, you may still want to consider making a confidential report. With your permission, the chief of police or a designee of MVPD can file a report on the details of the incident without revealing your identity. The purpose of a confidential report is to comply with your wish to keep the matter confidential, while taking steps to ensure the future safety of yourself and others. With such information, the college can keep an accurate record about the number of incidents involving students; determine where there is a pattern of assaults with
regard to a particular location, method, or assailant; and alert the college community to potential danger.

6. COLLEGE DISCIPLINARY ACTION  
If you have been sexually assaulted by another student or students and are considering taking action through the college, you are encouraged to discuss the matter with the Assistant Dean of Student Life and Judicial Affairs or his designee. This will allow you a chance to review the procedures should you decide to file a formal complaint through the college’s disciplinary/judicial system. This discussion does not obligate you to pursue official action. If you decide to take part in the college adjudication process, you should contact the Assistant Dean of Student Life and Judicial Affairs. Charges may either be filed directly by you or by the college on the basis of your written statement. Such a charge would be handled in accordance with the procedures relating to violations of the college’s Code of Student Conduct regulations. Assailants could be subject to disciplinary action pending review by the college judicial system. Those students found responsible for violating the code in this way could be suspended or expelled. Under the college’s disciplinary procedures, both the accuser and the accused are entitled to have an advisor or support person present during the hearing. Students who allege sexual assault by another student may request a change in their academic situation on campus after the alleged incident takes place if such changes are reasonably available. Finally, in accordance with federal regulations, both the accuser and the accused will be informed of the outcome of any campus disciplinary proceedings alleging sexual assault.

7. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND CHARGES
Depending on the timing of your report and preference, it may be possible for you to make a statement in the presence of the MVPD police officer and the local police at the same time. Be advised that questioning can be difficult. Remember, you may request that a support person be with you during the police interview. If it is possible for the assailant to be apprehended, the suspect will be taken by police before the local judge and charged with the appropriate offense(s) at a preliminary arraignment. You do not need to be present for this proceeding. The assailant may be jailed or released on bail depending on the circumstances of the crime. One of the conditions of bail is usually that the suspect not try to contact you. If you are contacted by the suspect or feel threatened in any way, you should immediately call the MVPD or the local police. Bail can be revoked, and additional charges can be filed if necessary. The prosecutor or deputy prosecutor will represent you without cost throughout the criminal proceedings. You may also speak with an attorney of your choice.

Resources

• MVPD on-campus emergency (24 hrs.) Ext. 5555
• Palos Hills Police Department (24 hrs.) 911 or 598-2992
• North Palos Fire Protection District 974-4474
• Palos Community Hospital 923-4000
• Legal Information—State's Attorney Office 974-6250
• Emotional Support—Moraine Valley Counseling Center 974-5722
• Support Services 974-5441

Specific Information about the Crime Statistics Reported by MVPD

• “Reported to MVPD” includes crime statistics from incidents that were reported to MVPD. If an incident was reported to MVPD and the Palos Hills PD, the statistics would be counted under the “reported to MVPD” column.
• "Reported to Palos Hills PD" includes crime statistics from incidents that were reported to Palos Hills and were NOT reported to MVPD. These incidents could have occurred in on-campus property, in non-campus property or on public property, as defined in the appendix.
• "Reported to Non-Police" includes crime statistics reported to officials in the institution who have significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, college administrators, deans, advisors, counselors, athletic coaches, etc.
  NOTE: Federal law requires institutions to break down the number of "on campus" crimes that occur in residential facilities, but since MVCC does not have any residential facilities, there is no column for residential statistics.

The statistics in the Hate Crime chart are separated by category of prejudice, but the numbers for each specific crime category are part of the overall statistics reported for each year. The only exception to this is the addition of Simple Assault to the Hate Crime chart. If a hate crime occurs where there is bodily injury, the law requires that the statistic be reported as a hate crime even though there is no requirement to report the crime classification in any other area of the compliance document.

Statistics under the heading of "Referred for Disciplinary Action" includes individuals referred to the Assistant Dean of Student Life and Judicial Affairs. The numbers include referrals that are made via MVPD police reports and reports provided directly to the Assistant Dean of Student Life and Judicial Affairs from other members of the Moraine Valley Community College community.

8. HOMELAND SECURITY