school campuses, and tribes may develop coordinating councils or SARTs or SARRTs of their own to allow for a more specialized response tailored to the needs of their populations. Coordinating councils may also exist to encourage consistent responses across a state, territory, tribal land or region. SART/SARRT membership. A SART/SARRT is composed of professionals involved in immediate response to disclosures of sexual assault. A core SART/SARRT commonly includes health care providers, law enforcement representatives, and victim advocates. Prosecutors and forensic scientists also are often involved, but more as consultants than first responders. Civil attorneys who represent victims are sometimes involved as well. Broad roles for SART/SARRT members include (listed in alphabetical order):30 • Advocates may be involved in initial victim contact (via 24-hour hotline or face-to-face meetings), offer victim advocacy, support, crisis intervention, information, translation or interpretation, and referrals before, during, and after the exam process, and facilitate transportation for the victim to and from the exam site. They often provide comprehensive, longer term services designed to aid victims in addressing any needs related to the assault, including but not limited to counseling and legal (civil, criminal, and immigration) and medical systems advocacy. • Civil attorneys protect the interests of sexual assault victims, address concerns that affect immediate everyday life and long-term wellbeing of victims, and represent victims in civil legal matters. Civil legal matters may include: privacy, safety, immigration, education, housing, employment, and financial issues. Because civil attorneys represent the individual victim, and not the prosecutor, they play a very different role from that of the prosecutor. • Forensic scientists analyze forensic evidence and provide results of the analysis to investigators and/or prosecutors. They may respond to crime scenes to assist in the collection and processing of evidence. They also testify at trial regarding the results of their analysis. • Health care providers assess patients for acute medical needs and provide stabilization, treatment, and/or consultation. Ideally, sexual assault forensic examiners perform the medical forensic exam, gather information for the medical forensic history, collect and document forensic evidence, and document pertinent physical findings from patients. They offer information, treatment, and referrals for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), pregnancy, and other nonacute medical concerns. They may also testify in court if needed. They coordinate with advocates to ensure that patients are offered crisis intervention, support, and advocacy during and after the exam process and encourage use of other victim services. They may follow up with patients for medical and forensic purposes. Other health care personnel that may be involved include, but are not limited to, emergency medical technicians, staff at hospital emergency departments, gynecologists, surgeons, private physicians, and/or local, tribal, campus, or military health services personnel. • Law enforcement representatives (e.g., 911 dispatchers, patrol officers, officers who process crime scene evidence, investigators, and federal law enforcement officers) respond to initial complaints, work to enhance victims’ safety, arrange for victims’ transportation to and from the exam site as needed, interview victims, coordinate collection and delivery of evidence to designated labs or law enforcement property facilities, and investigate cases (e.g., interviewing suspects and witnesses, requesting crime lab analysis, reviewing medical and lab reports, preparing and executing search warrants, writing reports, and presenting the case to a prosecutor). • Prosecutors determine if there is sufficient evidence for prosecution and, if so, prosecute the case. They should be available to consult with first responders as needed. A few jurisdictions more actively 28 Although victim advocacy programs and coordinating councils often lead local prevention efforts, SARTs play a role in prevention by helping victims plan for their safety and well-being and connecting them with resources that may reduce the likelihood of their future revictimization (e.g., emergency shelters and longer term housing programs, protective orders, programs offering free cell phones that automatically dial 911 when activated, or businesses that can help change locks and install alarm systems). Initial evidence collection and investigative efforts can play a pivotal role in holding offenders accountable and preventing them from reoffending. 29 American College of Emergency Physicians’ Evaluation and Management of the Sexually Assaulted or Sexually Abused Patient, 1999, p. 19. 30 Bulleted section partially adapted from Pennsylvania’s SART Guidelines, 2002, created by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. 25 involve prosecutors, paging them after initial contact and having them respond to the exam site so that they can become familiar with the case and help guide the investigation.31 • Victims' rights attorneys ensure victims’ rights are upheld during the criminal justice process. Examples in the sexual assault cases include independent motions to quash subpoenas filed in the criminal case (e.g., subpoenas for counseling, medical,