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Occasionally as a driver or navigator you may come across a passenger showing signs of distress and disclose sexual assault, harassment, or violence. Signs of distress may be explicit (e.g. the passenger may relay information to you directly), or may be inferred (e.g. the passenger seems in distress and is showing signs of potential harm).
The most important thing in dealing with a situation like this is to speak up, but not to press or pressure the passenger into more discomfort. If they are not comfortable speaking to you, you shouldn't force them to.
Lastly, it is your responsibility as a SafeRide staff member & responsiuble employee to report anything explicit or inferred to our team via the incident report. Further action will be decided by the SafeRide coordinator.
This policy has been created to help deal with these situations.
Step 1: Support
It is important to the person and their recovery to affirm that you believe their story and that nothing that happened was their fault.
Do not ask for details on their experience or try to investigate. It is not up to us to find justice for this person.
If you need any help, DO NOT radio the Nightly Operations Leader , instead call the ASOSU SafeRide Coordinator. This ensures information is not shared unnecessarily.
Step 2: Inform
It is hard to find the right moment, but as soon as possible, let the person know that you are a responsible employee.
That means that you cannot keep information confidential and have an obligation to report known information to the University via disclosure to the SafeRide Coordinator.
You could say, "I must let you know, I am a responsible employee and have an obligation to report this to my supervisor who will report this to EOA so you can get additional support from the University."
CAPE (Center for Advocacy and Prevention Education) and CAPS are the only confidential offices on campus!
Step 3: Next Steps
Ask if the rider would like to seek medical attention. If yes, this is one of the rare situations where we will change a rider’s drop off location and will drive the rider to the hospital.
If they do not want to seek medical attention, is there a place they would feel safe going?
If there is anyone who is still in immediate danger, call 911 for assistance.
Step 4: Follow Up
Let the rider know that you will have to tell the ASOSU SafeRide Coordinator, who will then inform the Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA) Office.
Ask the person if they would like to receive more information on support or resources, like the CAPE or EOA. If they do want more info, hand them a CAPE resource card from the cup holder.
EOA will also reach out via email to offer support and resources.
Step 5: Incident Report
The last step is either the Driver or the Navigator needs to complete an incident report form. The link is below.
If there are so many details that it would be difficult to write the report on the iPad, report back to the SafeRide office to write the IR on the computer.
This information can only be shared with the Coordinator. DO NOT share information learned with anyone else.
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