Letter: Campus safety is not doing its job

Reading about these sexual assaults makes me want to scream. 

The Missoula Police Department, as well as the University, have failed miserably when it comes to dealing with these types of crimes.

My friend was violently gang raped at a frat party a year ago this month. Within two hours, she had gone to First STEP, talked with officers and had officers sent to the room where the rape happened. Not only was she treated poorly by officers, but she was told repeatedly that there was no point in pushing to further the investigation because nothing would come of it. I was the closest thing she had to a witness, so I was questioned by police, detectives and University officials. They all told me the same thing: nothing will come of it. Let it go. Give it up.

There were three men involved in this crime, and the most that was done to identify them was getting one of their phone numbers from my cell phone. This was not the first time this had happened; there were lawyers at the scene with one of the men by the time the police arrived. When the toxicology report returned, it showed there were date rape drugs present at the time of the crime. Nothing was done.

Never have I seen such malperformance from so called "professional" people. The pain that comes from sex crimes is astronomical, and these crimes need to be taken seriously. My friend didn't leave her room for a week. At the end of that week, she left the University, moved back home across the country, and still had nightmares about her incident. The case has not been looked at since the initial interview with detectives. These three men are free to rape again.

Don't let this happen. Raise your voice. The University and the police department are not doing their jobs.

Chelsey Eubank, Sophomore, Social Work and Psychology