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UD offers $10,000 reward for information on rapist
Click here to download in PDF format the “Stay Safe!” fact sheet that was handed out at the campus forum on crime issues. 10:42 p.m., Nov. 2, 2006--More than 300 students, faculty and community members attended a campus forum Thursday evening on recent crimes, at which it was announced that the University is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the perpetrator two rapes and a sexual assault. The forum was held in Multipurpose Rooms A and B of the Trabant University Center. Addressing the recent incidents of crimes near the campus, security measures and available safety resources were William Nefosky, Newark chief of police; James Flatley, director of UD public safety; Maxine Colm, vice president for administration; Cynthia Cummings, associate vice president for campus life; and Mark Bonistall, father of the late Lindsey Bonistall, the UD student who was murdered in her off-campus apartment in 2005. Early Sunday morning, Oct. 8, a UD student was sexually assaulted at her residence on East Park Place, and a 19-year-old woman was raped at her home on Wilbur Street. On Saturday, Oct. 28, a 20-year-old UD student was raped and assaulted in a residence on Haines Street. Police suspect one person is responsible for all three incidents. At the Nov. 2 meeting, Cummings announced the University is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. “We are hoping that the announcement of a such a reward will encourage people to come forward with information, if they have such information,” Cummings said.
“One common denominator in all three of these crimes was that the suspect came in through an unlocked window or unlocked door,” Nefosky said. “If there's one thing I can emphasize first it is to make sure, no matter how much of a sense of security you have, that you lock your doors and lock your windows.” Nefosky said the Newark Police Department will seriously look into any reports of suspicious behavior. “Be on the look out for each other,” he said. “If you see something suspicious in your neighborhood, pick up the phone and dial the police. No matter how insignificant you think it may be, give us a call.” Flatley described the communication between public safety, Newark police and UD staff members and explained the services his department provides, such as student police aides and safety escorts. Flatley said student and members of the community must be proactive in reporting crimes or suspicious behavior. “We have to keep in mind that we are part of a larger community,” Flatley said. “We as police departments and public safety departments must take the lead. However, without the cooperation and assistance of the community we serve, it makes it extremely difficult for us to solve crimes.” Flatley said he also has increased the hours and numbers of student police aides on campus.
“It is very important that we all acknowledge that people's perceptions are their reality,” Cummings said. “If we have a perception that our campus is not safe, then in the reality of our students our campus is therefore not safe. We must acknowledge that, and we must address it and do everything we can to try to rectify the situations that we're facing right now.” Cummings said she encourages the audience to read the security information and resources provided at the forum and online through UDaily and its Crime Alert e-mail service. Bonistall addressed the safety measures needed for off-campus living. He said students must ask their landlords the appropriate security questions so that they are involved in their own safety. He said his daughter, Lindsey Bonistall, felt invincible, but students must get involved and take the appropriate measures, such as locking their windows and doors and talking to their landlords to protect themselves. “What happened to her was a random act, what's happening now are random acts,” Bonistall said. “The only way to stop them is to become involved in your own safety.” Bonistall said he and others have started a certified off-campus housing program that will provide landlords and owners of off-campus residences with safety guidlines to ensure the proper security measures are in place, such as deadbolts and peepholes. For more information, contact the new UD registered student organization, PEACEOUTside Campus, which is affiliated with the Lindsay Bonistall Foundation. Bonistall said the ability to prevent crimes on and around campus lies not only with the police but also with the thousands of University students. “There's some idiot out there [who] is committing crimes [against] you folks, and he doesn't deserve to be in this area at all,” he said. “If we all combine our efforts, we can help the Newark police, public safety and the administration keep you safe.”
One student said she had heard rumors about related attempted rapes in UD residence halls and asked if there had been any. Both Nefosky and Flatley said the rumors were not true. Another student asked why she hadn't heard about campus safety precautions, like the escort service for students provided by public safety, when she toured the campus as prospective student. Flatley said that public safety does provide information about the escort service and other campus safety measures, plus safety tips for students, at DelaWorld orientation sessions for new students and through a letter to students at the beginning of each academic year. Angela Seguin, coordinator of UD's Sexual Offense Support group (S.O.S.) made the point that 80-90 percent of rapes and sexual assaults are “acquaintance rapes,” crimes committed by someone the victim knows. S.O.S. [www.udel.edu/wellspring/SOS/SOSmain.htm] is a volunteer organization, serving survivors of all forms of sexual assault, dedicated to educating the UD community about the issues. “Stranger rapes are rare,” Cummings said. “This is a very unusual situation for us, and we let the community know about it as soon as we knew about it.” Flatley urged students at the forum to take the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) course taught by public safety each semester. Each 15-hour course, which is offered in a series of five three-hour classes, teaches women how to combat sexual assaults and rapes through awareness and hands-on self-defense training. Free to all female students, faculty and staff at UD, the courses are taught by certified instructors and include realistic simulation scenarios. RAD classes also teach participants how to improve home and personal security, how to avoid date rape and how to abide by laws when carrying Mace or other weapons. All RAD self-defense tactics are designed to be used in a variety of confrontational situations, and class participants are encouraged to practice their techniques on officers dressed in padded equipment. To register or obtain more information on RAD classes, e-mail Officer Hedrick in the Department of Public Safety at [janjan@udel.edu].
“You can call the policy anonymously,” Nefosky said, attempting to allay concerns that callers may have that they will look silly if it turns out there is no problem, of if the caller is worried about retaliation from someone they report to the police. Article by Julia Parmley, AS '07, and Larry Elveru
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