UW–Madison Police Department

CRIME WARNING: UWPD Investigating First-Degree Sexual Assault Near Memorial Union

  • Incident date: April 8, 2016, 10:00 pm
  • Incident type: Sexual Assault
  • Location/address: Near the Memorial Union

Late Friday night, April 8, 2016, a first-degree sexual assault was reported to have occurred near the Memorial Union.

The victim reports that sometime between 10:00 p.m. and 10:40 p.m., three unknown men held her down against her will with a knife and sexually assaulted her. The victim was unable to provide a detailed description of the suspects.

The UW-Madison Police Department is actively investigating this case.  Anyone with information is urged to contact UWPD at (608) 264-COPS.

UW-Madison prohibits sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. These crimes will not be tolerated on campus and are a violation of Wisconsin law as well as the student code of conduct. Violence and the fear of violence can disrupt the working and learning processes of the UW-Madison community. The effects of such violence are costly, not only to individual victims, but also to the campus as a whole: fear replaces safety, doubt replaces confidence, and distraction replaces concentration. UW-Madison proactively addresses sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.

Sexual assault is never the fault of the victim. While nothing is failsafe, here are some suggestions everyone should consider:

  • Make sure you have consent. Consent is a clear and freely given yes, not the absence of a no.
  • People who are incapacitated by alcohol or drugs cannot give consent. Signs of incapacitation may include—but are not limited to—throwing up, slurring words, stumbling, or not being able to remember conversations.
  • If you’ve been sexually assaulted, tell someone – there are resources available to help you.
  • Make sure you and your friends have a safe way to get home. If you can’t walk home with friends, use SAFEwalk or public transportation.
  • If you see someone in danger or you think a situation may become dangerous and it’s not safe to intervene, immediately call 911 for help.

Please visit uwpd.wisc.edu/tellus and evoc.wisc.edu for more information about preventing sexual violence. See uwpd.wisc.edu/crime-data/clery-act/ for more information about Clery Act implementation at UW-Madison.