The Blueprint for Campus Police guides the 600 police officers that patrol The University of Texas’s 14 campuses on how to engage with victims of sexual assault and improve the handling of sexual assault cases. The blueprint, created by the School of Social Work’s Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, uses the latest scientific research to clarify confusing issues about sexual assault such as the neurobiology of trauma, the role of drugs and alcohol, false allegations, and forensic interviewing.
“Having the opportunity to rely directly on the scientific and academic community to inform police practices is a rare and powerful foundation for action,” said UT System Police Director Michael Heidingsfield. “We must listen to victims’ voices and understand their fears and concerns in the context of current science as well as ensure that our policies and protocols are evolutionary and not stalled in the past.”
