Los Angeles, California - Today, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced steps to address the pervasive issue of sexual assault on California’s college campuses. As part of this effort, Attorney General Harris released a Model Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), comprised of a How-To Guide and Template MOU for law enforcement agencies and institutions of higher learning to improve their coordination, collaboration and transparency in response to cases of campus sexual assault.
Attorney General Harris was joined by University of California President Janet Napolitano, law enforcement leaders, and victim advocates at a press conference in Los Angeles to announce this effort. Below are additional quotes in support of this critical effort to address campus sexual assault in California.
Speaker Toni G. Atkins (D- San Diego):
“Our college campuses must be safe places. And if a sexual assault, a hate crime or a violent crime is committed, each campus and community has the duty to ensure it is taken seriously and resolved responsibly. The model Memorandum of Understanding developed by Attorney General Harris provides an important, uniform tool for making sure students, faculty, staff and visitors at all California’s colleges and universities find themselves in a safe and supportive environment.”
Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside):
“Given the seriousness of the issue of sexual assault, particularly on college campuses, I am grateful to see the progress of the discussion with this Memorandum of Understanding from the Attorney General and all the continued cooperation between campuses and local law enforcement. As Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, I believe we must protect students and community members and hold perpetrators accountable.”
California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) Executive Director Sandra Henriquez:
“CALCASA applauds the efforts of the California Attorney General’s Office in creating a model Memorandum of Understanding that will assist California campuses and local law enforcement to improve responses to address sexual assault.”
California College and University Police Chiefs Association President Chief Randy A. Burba:
“The California College and University Police Chiefs Association supports the model Memorandum of Understanding and guidance document released by the Office of the Attorney General. We thank the Office of the Attorney General for the opportunity to participate during the review process and we trust the final product will be a tremendous advancement to aid municipal law enforcement and university law enforcement in their shared, ultimate goal of assisting survivors and victims of violent crime. We heartily encourage all of our member agencies of the California College and University Police Chiefs Association to utilize this excellent tool. “
Oxnard Police Department Chief Jeri Williams:
“Law enforcement is committed to a working partnership between campus police and county and local departments to increase the awareness and education of students in the area of sexual assault. This MOU demonstrates our desire to work together and to share resources to best serve our victims of sexual assault.”
University of California Students Association President Jefferson Kuoch-Seng:
“I want to thank Attorney General Harris and the University for their proactive work on the implementation of student- supported legislation. On every campus, sexual violence and response to assault affects everyone and has a huge impact on our campus culture. Student activists have driven a bold agenda on this issue and it is paying off. We have much more work to accomplish: UCSA continues to urge the UC Office of the President to implement mandatory in-person peer consent and bystander intervention training for faculty, staff and students at all UCs. These model MOUs will ensure communication and cooperation among and on our individual campuses. We are encouraged by this guide, and look forward to meaningful community and survivor-informed discussions to address the issue.”
San Francisco Police Department Chief Greg Suhr:
"Local law enforcement has a shared responsibility with campuses to respond effectively to support victims however we can. We look forward to working with the colleges and universities within my jurisdiction to implement this Model MOU."
Association of Independent California Colleges & Universities President Kristen Soares:
“AICCU appreciates and supports the work of the California Attorney General in serving as a resource to colleges and universities to ensure compliance with increasingly complex state and and federal campus safety and sexual assault laws. These tools provide much needed guidance to institutions on best practices in protecting the safety of our students and the entire campus community.”
