Anonymous Reporting & Sexual Violence Procedures
Iowa Lakes Community College is committed to creating and maintaining an educational environment and workplace that is free from discrimination, harassment, and violence.
Anonymous Reporting
The purpose of anonymous reporting is to allow any victim of sexual assault to make a report with the option of not including his/her name. Below you will find information and resources available to students regarding Anonymous Reporting and Title IX.
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Privacy & Confidentiality
Information received by the Human Resources Office and Title IX Officer in connection with the filing, investigation, and resolution of allegations will be treated confidentially. The Director of Human Resources/Title IX Officer will disclose your information on a limited basis and only as needed to properly and thoroughly conduct an investigation, for the purposes of addressing conduct or practices that are in violation of the policy, or when required to do so by state or federal laws.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is an Anonymous Report Beneficial?
Iowa Lakes Community College and local law enforcement officials are aware that many sexual assault victims are unwilling to report to the police for a variety of reasons. Often, the victim does not want to report right away because they are uncertain about the reactions of family, friends, and others they may speak to about it. A few days, weeks, or months later, when the picture becomes clearer to them, a victim may want to report but then feels it is too late. Submitting this report may help victims take a first step in the reporting process, making it easier to come forward later if they choose.
- Anonymous reports have been able to reveal trends in sexual assault by identifying a common suspect, location of concern, or other common denominator.
- Iowa Lakes Community College and local law enforcement would like to gain intelligence and a truer picture of the local incidence and perpetration of sexual assault in our community.
- Some victims are ONLY interested in notifying authorities of a potential harm in the community or sharing the facts of a sexual assault and they have no plans to ever make a formal report to law enforcement. This report allows for that.
Most importantly, Iowa Lakes Community College wants victims of sexual assault to know there are free medical and counseling resources available to them whether they report to law enforcement or not, and we want victims to take advantage of those resources as well.
Who will see the Report?
Anonymous reports filed through this website are viewable only by the victim of sexual assault and the advocates who are assigned to the case. The reports will not be available to any law enforcement officers and they are not subject to public records review.
Persons who submit a sexual assault report through this website will have a few additional options available to them.
- The victim can indicate whether they would like to be contacted by a Victim Advocate. In these cases, all correspondence and contact with a Victim Advocate is kept confidential and is NOT shared with a detective unless the victim requests it.
- The victim can indicate that they are willing to be contacted by law enforcement ONLY if a pattern arises related to the perpetrator and further information is needed from the victim to help with another investigation.
It is very important that victims control their level of involvement in reporting a sexual assault. No attempts will be made to identify or contact victims who report a sexual assault anonymously unless a clear identifiable pattern arises and the victim has left a contact number or email address, OR law enforcement has reason to believe the victim may still be in danger.
I Was Recently Sexually Assaulted. What do I do?
Your safety is our primary concern. We urge you to do the following if you have been the victim of a sexual assault in the past 96 hours. All of the actions below are your choice.
- Get to a safe place and get medical attention as soon as possible. You can go to your local Emergency Room where a medical exam will be conducted and evidence can be collected for use later if you so choose. The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (S.A.N.E.) and other medical staff can detect injuries and offer help regarding concerns of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy as a result of the sexual assault. You can get this medical exam done confidentially, without reporting to law enforcement. There is no cost for the exam.
Where do I go for help?
Referral and advocacy services are available for any member of the Iowa Lakes’ student body, staff, or faculty, who believes he/she has been the victim of sexual abuse. Some of the referral and advocacy services for Sexual and Domestic Violence are:
Centers Against Abuse & Sexual Assault and Crisis Intervention Services (CAASA)
Services are available 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
- Algona: 515-295-6958
- Emmetsburg: 712-262-4612
- Estherville: 712-362-3200
- Spencer: 712-262-4612
- Spirit Lake: 712-336-1255
Centers Against Abuse & Sexual Assault
Serves the Emmetsburg, Estherville, Spencer and Spirit Lake area you may call their 24 hour crisis line for Sexual assault and Domestic Violence services at: 877-362-4612.
Crisis Intervention Services
Outreach office serves Algona their 24 hour crisis line for Sexual Assault services is: 800-479-9071 and they also have a 24 hour crisis line for Domestic Violence services at: 855-424-9133
Family Violence Center, Fort Dodge: 515-955-5456
National Victim Center’s Info Link: 800-FYI-CALL
Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Abuse: 800-942-0333
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-333-SAFE(7233)
Iowa Victim Service Call Center: 800-770-1650 or text ‘IOWAHELP’ to 20121
Types of Help Available
Medical Help
If you still have injuries as a result of a sexual assault or if you were sexually assaulted in the last 96 hours, we urge you to go to a hospital emergency room where a forensic medical exam will be conducted without law enforcement officers being contacted, if you wish. The forensic medical exam would detect any injuries and could result in the collection of evidence that would be stored under an anonymous file.
Local hospital emergency rooms offer medical assistance to include treatments to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and pregnancy.
Emotional Healing and Assistance
There are resources available to sexual assault victims and survivors in our community related to mental health. Sometimes a victim just needs someone safe to talk to, and the Advocate or Counselor can offer them that and more. The following resources allow for anonymous help and could answer questions about the criminal justice process should the victim want to consider that in the future. The advocates have vast experience and training in helping victims heal, cope, and effectively manage life after a sexual assault.
Online Anonymous Counseling Services:
CAASA has anonymous online reporting services and counseling services.
Other Hotlines and Resources:
Available 24 Hours a Day, 365 Days a Year
Algona: 800-479-9071
Emmetsburg: 712-852-4612
Estherville: 712-362-4612
Spencer: 712-262-4612
Spirit Lake: 712-336-1255
National Victim Center’s Info Link 800-FYI-CALL
Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault 800-942-0333
National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-333-SAFE (7233)
What if I was sexually assaulted a long time ago?
Even if you were sexually assaulted a long time ago, or as a child, there are resources and help available. Under some circumstances, prosecuting a sexual assault might not be an option due to statute of limitation restrictions, however, the information provided could lead investigators to other recent victims and could prevent others from becoming a victim at the hands of the perpetrator. We encourage survivors to make a report or to fill out the anonymous report form on this website, regardless of the date(s) of the sexual assault.
You should know that you are not alone! Did you know research shows that only 7 to 10 percent of sexual assault victims report the assaults to law enforcement? Many never tell ANYONE. It is never too late to talk and share your story with others who understand. There are support groups and other resources available through which your identity can remain anonymous. Under the ‘Where can I go for help’ section of this website you can find information which explains the long term impact of a sexual assault and the benefits of talking to someone about the incident(s) or reporting it to authorities.
The Statute of Limitations for sexual assault varies depending on the age of the victim and other factors. In the state of Iowa, anyone who has been assaulted, and is over the age of 18, criminal charges can be pressed for 10 years after the assault has taken place.
WHAT IS SEXUAL VIOLENCE?
Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, unwanted sexual comments or advances, acts directed against a person’s sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim. Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape.
