At Associated Students of Madison’s first meeting, University of Wisconsin Police Department’s Sue Riseling laid the department’s evolving strategies for longtime campus safety issues.
Alcohol on campus
Riseling addressed UWPD’s plan to target high-risk drinkers on campus. UWPD found overconsumption of alcohol was higher in white drinkers.
Based off these statistics, Riseling said they’re trying to be statistically accurate and not exclusive with how they monitor drinkers, and that will come in the form of targeting a white audience.
“What we know statistically is that overconsumption of alcohol is predominantly a white problem,” Riseling said.
Two other audiences Riseling said UWPD will be focused on in terms of drinking will be athletes and Greek Life.
“We have an abundant supply of alcohol, and we get a fresh group of incoming students every fall that, for some reason, have to drink the town dry in the first month of school,” Riseling said. “And there will be a lot of students needing to go to detox.”
The average age of students who go to detox is 18, with an average blood alcohol content of .23, Riseling said.
Referring to the first 45 days initiative, Riseling said University Health Services and Division of Student Life will be doing prevention work and educating students.
UWPD will also be in residence halls communicating the effects of alcohol to students. But Riseling said at the end of the day, the department will be making sure medical assistance is provided when necessary and people get the detoxification they need.
Sexual assault prevention
Sexual assault, Riseling said, is of top priority for the police department. With their “Don’t Be That Guy” campaign already receiving national attention, the department will push the campaign further as the next phase will focus on violence in same-sex couples.
Previously, UWPD released a campaign called “Tell Us,” which encouraged victims of sexual assault to come forward about their experience.
“We think that the ‘Tell Us’ helped have some impact in the number of reports,” Riseling said.
In the campaign’s history, reports have continually increased with 164 assaults recorded last year, she said.
The campaign’s success typically has led to justice for victims.
“Every single sexual assault that was reported to UWPD last year resulted in the arrest of an offender,” Riseling said.
Following the release of Association of American Universities’ sexual assault numbers in the third week of September, UWPD will be releasing their own data on Oct. 1 of sexual assaults for UW in an annual report to the state.
Body cameras
Riseling also addressed the police department’s plans to implement body cameras in the next month. They expect to have equipment on-the-ground Oct. 1.
Riseling said officers would have had the cameras sooner, but there was a backlog of cameras due to high demand. But now that they have arrived, officers have already begun training with the cameras.
“Body cam footage will be publicly available,” Riseling said. “Footage will be kept for 180 days. If there’s something on it that is of evidentiary value, it’s tagged and goes with the case. And then it will stay alive as long as the case is alive.”
