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Police departments must be involved in investigating sexual assaults on campuses to ensure colleges dont minimize the crime to protect their image, a U.S. senator said at a hearing today.

I am concerned that law enforcement is being marginalized when it comes to the crime of campus sexual assault, said Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat who leads a Senate Judiciary subcommittee.

A lack of law enforcement response sends the message that what happened to the victim didnt matter, he said. This message fits too neatly with the pressure school administrators may feel to downplay campus sexual violence.

Lawmakers at the federal and state level are seeking more prosecutions of sexual assaults and tougher penalties for educational institutions that fail to pursue cases. While many rape victims have been reluctant to report crimes to police, a wave of assaults has fueled calls to direct more complaints to the justice system.

The hearing took place weeks after the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville was tossed into turmoil by a now-discredited Rolling Stone magazine article about an alleged gang rape of a woman at a fraternity that wasnt reported to police.

The publication has since [bn:URL=http:\www.rollingstone.comculturenewsa-note-to-our-readers-20141205

k] backtracked [] from the Nov. 19 article, saying last week there were discrepancies in the supposed victims account. Local law enforcement is investigating the allegations.

Senator Claire McCaskill said at the hearing she is saddened and angry about the bad journalism in the Rolling Stone article.

The article was a setback for survivors in this country, said McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat. This is not a crime where you have rampant false reporting and embellishment.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, echoed McCaskills concerns.

See the article here:
Campus Sexual Assault Response Criticized by U.S. Senators