In light of recent alleged sexual assaults on campus, the UNA Police Department Policy and Procedures for Investigating Sexual Assaults was revised, said police Chief Bob Pastula.

“The policies are changed to reflect the way we do things in the department,” Pastula said.

The 32-page policy, revised March 7, covers procedures for each of the people involved in responding to an alleged sexual assault, including the dispatcher, on-scene officers and investigating officers.

“The purpose of this policy is to provide officers and investigators with guidelines for responding to reports of sexual assault, assisting victims, collaborating with local health and service agencies, and conducting interviews with victims, witnesses and suspects,” the policy states. “Because of the special needs involved in sexual assault investigations, this policy is an all-inclusive document that covers first response, investigation, and prosecution.

“The Chief of Police shall be notified immediately by the University Communications Center and the First Responding Officer of any sexual assault case, so that a timely warning may be issued to the University Community if warranted.”

Vice President for Student Affairs David Shields said in a recent open forum with campus and community members that he and other officials are examining the process by which reported sexual assaults are handled.

“All of the organizations and groups that help women after sexual assaults need to work together,” he said. “They need to cooperate instead of compete.”

Pastula said that when he first started as police chief at UNA, there were no policies in place for responding to or investigating sexual assaults.

“These are new policies that we’ve been writing and updating as we go along,” he said.

Policies and procedures are always reconsidered following any type of campus incident, Pastula said.

“When something happens, we go back and re-evaluate the policy and make changes as needed,” he said.

The policy outlines what constitutes a sexual assault, as well as responding to a number of different factors, including stranger or non-stranger assaults, collecting evidence and diagramming crime scenes.