LOS ANGELES (AP) – California law enforcement and education leaders are directing colleges to quickly notify authorities when a sexual assault is reported on campus, following criticism that incidents were being hidden by universities and not investigated thoroughly.
Attorney General Kamala Harris and University of California president Janet Napolitano released a template Wednesday outlining cooperation between campuses and law enforcement agencies mandated under a state law passed last year.
The move came amid ongoing scrutiny over the handling of sexual assault cases on U.S. campuses.
The new measure is one of several aimed at improving university and law enforcement responses to sexual offenses. It requires that a victim’s name be withheld unless they give consent.
In a separate law, California became the first state in the nation to define when “yes means yes,” requiring affirmative consent for sex.