A sexual assault reported Sunday to a UW-Madison staff member will not be investigated by the UW Police Department, according to a crime warning sent to students’ emails.
The assault, of which the victim and suspect allegedly know each other, happened in a Southeast residence hall Saturday.
Since the assault was reported to UW staff and the victim requested police not get involved, Public Information Officer Marc Lovicott said the police department cannot investigate the crime.
He added sexual assaults more often than not go unreported for various reasons.
“They may not want to get the individual in trouble. They may not feel comfortable talking to police,” Lovicott said, explaining there are many different reasons why someone may not want to contact police. “We absolutely understand that and respect that. It’s completely up to them, and there are other resources on campus if they choose not to report it to police.”
Lovicott cited national statistics that one in five college-aged women will experience sexual assault throughout her college career, but only six sexual assaults have been reported at UW-Madison over this academic year.
“Typically with sexual assaults, it’s just a fraction that are reported, which is unfortunate,” Lovicott said. “When you try to do the math, the numbers pale in comparison.”
