By Josie Simpson

On Oct. 21, the ULPD Chief of Police, Colonel Steven Green, sat down to discuss campus concerns regarding the Clery Reports. Faculty and students alike have noticed a concerning number of reports that ULPD has listed as rape.

Clarifying Clery Reports

Green explained that the Clery Reports list these incidents as rape, though not all meet the official definition. Since the University of Louisville receives federal funding, law requires it to comply with Clery regulations. This means ULPD must classify all sexual misconduct, including unwanted touching, as rape under federal rules.

“Every sexual assault, they’re all serious, but every sexual assault has to be characterized as a rape,” Green said.  “We’re mandated to report things under one category, and it looks terrible.”

Green said roughly 95% of the cases ULPD handles do not match the common definition of rape. Only one case met the common definition of rape, and it involved no UofL students.

He confirmed there are no repeat offenders on campus. “While everything shows it’s a rape, we do not have a rapist on this campus. We have folks that know each other, and one of them takes advantage of the other.” 

Developments in Reported Cases

Two offenders connected to the Clery Report have been arrested, and detectives are still processing several other cases.  

Green referenced one specific case, UL25-000702, which involved sexual abuse. ULPD received the report after the victim went to the hospital for an examination. Prosecutors presented the case to the Grand Jury on Oct. 20. Authorities arrested and charged the offender with sexual abuse in the first degree, as well as intimidating a participant in the legal process.

Some victims chose not to prosecute, but ULPD still recorded the incidents. Green said that even if victims do not prosecute, ULPD officers must still document the cases in the Clery Reports. “The folks that did not want to prosecute, we’ve at least pointed them towards getting some services through the DA Student Office or to counseling services.” 

ULPD has forwarded all the cases in which the victim wishes to move forward to the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office for screening. He added, “All eight of them have been addressed, all eight of them have been investigated.” 

Two cases known to The Cardinal currently fall under sodomy in the first degree. Green explained he agrees that these cases are relatively similar to rape, so ULPD sent them to the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. “It’s very close, and that’s why we send that to the Commonwealth and let the legal minds decide what the elements are.” 

ULPD Transparency & Accessibility

Green explained the ULPD redacted reports that The Cardinal received were redacted to protect victims’ privacy and because investigators are still handling many cases.

President Gerry Bradley also receives updates about every sexual assault case that ULPD has, though he also does not know all the sensitive information. “I don’t go into great detail, and that’s for the privacy of our victims.” 

Green also acknowledged the openness that faculty and students are expecting.

“We want to be completely transparent, but at the same time, we want to protect our students,” he said.  “These folks, they are traumatized and we sure as hell don’t want to further that. “

Regarding an incident early in the semester when a student held a faculty member at knifepoint, Green said he is working with Interim Vice President of Communications and Marketing, John Karman, to ensure the UofL population has the information they need.  “If it’s not an ongoing threat to campus, you don’t put a RAVE alert out. But should we have put something out through an email saying, ‘Hey, this occurred; the police made an arrest, and there’s no danger to the campus?’ We should have.” 

ULPD is working with the Staff Senate and SGA to improve campus accessibility. Additionally, officers have recently joined the BRICC committee to create open lines of communication and help students feel more comfortable engaging with ULPD.