# Cornell Police Fail Jane Doe's Report

> Cornell campus police ignored trauma-informed principles when responding to Jane Doe's sexual assault report.
- Title: Cornell Police Fail Jane Doe's Report · Slate Magazine
- Summary: Cornell campus police ignored trauma-informed principles when responding to Jane Doe's sexual assault report. Cornell University Police failed to follow…
- Keywords: cornell university, jane doe, campus police, trauma-informed policing, gender-responsive policing, sexual assault, title ix, university police, Cornell, Police, Fail, Jane
- Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/10/cornell-seven-news-campus-police-jane-doe-fail.html?via=rss
- Author: Sabrina Karim
- Published: 2026-10-02T19:28:45+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: cornell university, jane doe, campus police, trauma-informed policing, gender-responsive policing, sexual assault, title ix, university police
## Jane Doe's Report
Jane Doe reported sexual assault to Cornell University Police Department after campus incident.

> I am an associate professor of government at Cornell University, where my research through the Gender and Security Sector Lab examines how police and justice institutions can become more gender-responsive and trauma-informed.
## Cornell Police Jurisdiction
Cornell University Police Department, not Ithaca Police Department, had jurisdiction to investigate the case.

> Cornell has stated that the Cornell University Police Department, rather than the Ithaca Police Department, had jurisdiction to investigate the case.
## Trauma-Informed Principles
Survivors should not be treated as definitive sources of trauma accounts and may revise statements over time.

> One statement from a survivor should never be treated as the final or definitive account of a traumatic event.
## Survivor Burden
Investigations should not place burden on survivors to recount traumatic events repeatedly.

> Investigations should not place the burden of establishing what happened primarily on the survivor.
## Survivor Communication
Survivors should be kept informed about case status and next steps throughout investigation.

> Survivors should be kept informed about what is happening with their case.
## Survivor Services
Survivors need ongoing access to mental health, safety, housing, and academic accommodations.

> Survivors should be connected to a range of services from the beginning and throughout the investigative process.
## Survivor Choice
Survivors should have meaningful choices about who interacts with them during investigations.

> Survivors should have meaningful choices about who interacts with them during an investigation.
## Cornell's Obligations
Cornell University must review campus police for gender- and trauma-responsive practices.

> Cornell and the law-enforcement and justice institutions that serve this community, as well as all universities across the country, should conduct a systematic review of whether their law enforcement agencies are gender- and trauma-responsive.
## Systemic Change
Institutional change requires public cases to reveal failures in gender-responsive policing.

> My global research has also taught me that institutional change of this nature often follows sustained advocacy and, unfortunately, comes after highly public cases reveal failure.
## Key takeaway

Cornell University Police failed to follow gender-responsive and trauma-informed protocols after Jane Doe reported sexual assault.