Campus crime tales: dispatch one
By Scott Strasser, November 20 2014 —
Sexual harrassment case brought to a close
A suspect named Hector was arrested and charged with criminal harassment and assault by the Calgary Police Service (CPS) after he harrassed three women on the University of Calgary campus.
Starting Oct. 7, the suspect attempted to obtain the phone numbers of the women on campus. When they refused, he grabbed the womens arms and shouted at them.
With help from students and staff, Campus Security and CPS were able to identify the suspect in just over a week. Campus Security said they received over 30 tips.
“We asked for the public’s help in solving this case and we were overwhelmed with the positive response we got from the community,” said Campus Security director Brian Sembo. “We had phone calls, we had emails, we had statements that were dropped off. Both students and faculty came forward and provided us with information.”
Sembo stressed that in harassment cases, victims shouldn’t wait to report what happened.
“Whenever something is not right, whether it’s harassment or someone insisting on your personal information, report that information right away,” Sembo said. “You don’t know how many other people have been victimized or how serious it could be for the next person.”
The suspect is now banned from all U of C facilities and property.
Campus Security is investigating a similar incident that took place on Oct. 31. A suspect named Alex tried to obtain a woman’s phone number and became aggressive when she turned him down. He grabbed the woman’s arm, but she managed to escape and report the incident.
Trespassing and stunting increase on campus
Incidents of stunting — activities designed to attract attention or publicity — and trespassing on campus have increased, according to Campus Security director Brian Sembo.
“We’ve had a number of [trespassers] coming into the campus area lately,” Sembo said. “We’ve had both re-offenders who have been charged, and we’ve had first-time offenders who we’ve had to warn to stay off campus.”
Sembo said the spike in trespassers is likely due to the colder weather forcing people inside.
“We do get an issue with colder weather and [the trespassers] may or may not be homeless. I think that’s true for any area that has public access. We keep an eye out for that,” Sembo said.
Sembo said stunting — particularly by skateboarders — has also increased on campus in recent weeks.
“If you have people who aren’t here for a legitimate reason, we need to hear about that,” Sembo said.