Sergeant Frank Wallace of the Department of Public Safety has worked in crime prevention for the past nine and a half years. Wallace has seen Prairie View’s crime rate go from one extreme to the other, but says there’s a new issue plaguing campus safety; sexual assault.
From Sept. 1 through Jan. 25, a total of six assaults were reported.
Two of the reports were later classified as sexual assaults, including one in which the victim was threatened with a weapon.
The other four reports were classified as information reports, as they did not actually take place on campus but in the city of Prairie View. Wallace says that there may have been other reports but victims may have been scared, embarrassed, or ashamed of what had happened to them.
Wallace said, “We encourage everyone to come forward, so if there is a trend we can educate and help avoid the situation permanently.”
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics at the U.S. Department of Justice, 80 percent of sexual assaults that take place are constructed by a social contact of the victim.
Figures like these can be reduced if students start and are aware of the necessary precautions. The Department of Public Safety on campus hosts a women’s self defense class, which can be scheduled on request.
Mace and important information are given during the course which can be very valuable in helping to prevent assaults.