Victims have options when reporting sexual assault crimes

    According to Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, out of 1,000 rapes in the United States, 994 perpetrators will go free for their crimes. Additionally, only 310 assaults out of 1,000 are reported.
    Many times victims are afraid to report these crimes because they fear retaliation, they don’t want the perpetrator to get in trouble or they fear that the police will not help them.
    The reporting options in Colorado eliminate some of the fear and perceived risks that are involved by allowing victims to receive care while remaining anonymous. The choices are available to provide privacy and confidentiality.
    Victims between the ages of 18-69 have three reporting options available to them. It is mandatory, however, that law enforcement be involved in cases for children under the age of 18 as well as adults over 69 because both populations are considered at-risk.
    The first reporting option is anonymous reporting in which a victim may choose to have no law enforcement involvement. This option allows victims to have evidence collection performed and have it stored in case they decide to report to law enforcement at a later time. No identifying markers are given to law enforcement to ensure that the patient remains completely anonymous. The evidence is stored for a minimum of two years.
    The second reporting option is medical reporting. Medical reporting allows a patient to receive medical evaluation and treatment along with evidence collection without making a report to law enforcement. In these cases, law enforcement is provided the victim’s name, but the victim has the option of choosing whether or not they want the evidence analyzed. The kit will be stored for a minimum of two years.

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