A northern Indiana prosecutor says he would prefer it if sexual assault allegations at the University of Notre Dame were investigated by the St. Joseph County Special Victims Unit.
Prosecutor Ken Cotter told the South Bend Tribune that students have the option of reporting such cases directly to the county’s special victims unit, although students have been told for years to report those cases to campus police.
Notre Dame spokesman Paul Browne said university officials acknowledge county and state police have the prerogative to investigate crimes within their jurisdiction, which includes campus.
According to annual campus crime reports that colleges are required to make public under the federal Clery Act, a total of 30 sexual assaults, including 16 rapes, were reported at Notre Dame from 2011 to 2013.
