March 31, 2003
Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: loweryr@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington University, the
Western Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (WACLEA)
and ASPEN (Abuse Support and Prevention Education Now) will host a
conference for specialized sexual assault response education and
training April 2-4 at the Ellensburg Inn.
Law enforcement officers, student affairs personnel,
counselors, faculty, sexual assault advocates and students from
throughout the Pacific Northwest are expected to attend the training.
This is the first time such a wide variety of sexual assault responders
have gathered for simultaneous instruction, according to CWU Police
Chief Steve Rittereiser, the conference organizer.
“The training will focus on a multi-disciplinary approach to
sexual assault prevention,” Rittereiser says. “A multi-disciplinary
approach is extremely effective in responding to sexual assault
incidents since it focuses a collective effort toward recovery of the
victim while providing the strongest means of holding a perpetrator
accountable.”
Joanne Archambault, president of the Sexual Assault Training
Institute, will lead the training. Archambault served for 23 years
with the San Diego Police Department, supervising the sex crimes unit
for 10 years. She has written about and lectured nationwide on the
criminal justice response to sexual assault crimes, including the role
of law enforcement, forensic examination, overcoming a consent defense
and the impact of DNA.
“She is a premier trainer in the United States on the topic
of multi-disciplinary response to sexual assault,” Rittereiser points
out. “We are very fortunate to have someone of her caliber provide
this training.”
Because of the significance of this training, International
Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) President
Scott Doner will also be in attendance, according to Rittereiser.
“Chief Doner will make a luncheon address to the attendees as
well as participate in the conference training,” he adds. “IACLEA
recognizes the importance of multi-agency and multi-discipline response
to crimes like sexual assault. That’s why Chief Doner is coming here,
to support this cooperative training approach.”
Locally, the Ellensburg Police Department, Kittitas County
Sheriff’s Department, Kittitas County Probation Services, Kittitas
County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Cle Elum Police Department,
Kittitas Police Department, ASPEN and 12 CWU officials will participate
in the training, Rittereiser notes.
