CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper Police Department is working with local bars and restaurants to recognize situations of potential sexual violence and provide them with the tools to intervene.
Backwards Distillery, The Office, and Keg and Cork all recently completed the Bystander Intervention Training Program launched by the Casper PD Victim Services Unit. Unwanted or problematic situations often evolve in bars, said Victim Services Coordinator Leslie Fritzler.
Fritzler acknowledged it can be uncomfortable or awkward for someone to directly intervene in unfamiliar situations where they suspect, but can’t be sure, that something is wrong. Fritzler said there are many preemptive measures and subtle strategies that establishment staff can adopt.
Not overserving alcohol and not serving unwanted drinks are basic measures the training provides. Bars can also install signage in the bathrooms directing a victim to order a specific drink or speak a code phrase in order to alert staff that there is a problem.
“At the very least, just be extremely attentive,” said Rebekah Ladd, CPD spokesman. “If you’re not comfortable saying or doing anything, just be attentive. You never know what you might be witnessing, and what help that might provide investigators at a later or time.“
The training encourages staff to make note of who may have split off from a group they arrived with, especially if that group leaves. They are also encouraged to engage the potential victim and, if necessary, distract the potential offender.
Maintaining and projecting awareness can itself deter predatory, violent, or unwanted behavior, Fritzler said. “It’s really following your instinct,” she added. “We know when a situation doesn’t necessarily look right.”
The window decals received upon completing the training, as well as the bar coasters printed with Victim’s Services contact information, help establishments communicate that they are on guard against problematic behavior.
Fritzler added that an officer will come to a bar to do a walkthrough any time there is report that a situation may be escalating.
According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the number of reported rapes in Casper increased tenfold between 2016 and 2018. The 103 reported rapes (per 100,000 residents) far outpaced rates in major cities like Chicago and New York (with 66 and 33 reported rapes per 100,000 residents, respectively).
“We investigate sexual assault every day,” said Ladd, CPD spokesman. “It is a rarity that there is not a sex offense on our call board. It is a problem.”
Casper PD’s Victims Services Unit has two full-time staff members and 12 volunteers, is one of only a few in the state, Ladd said.
Nevertheless, Wyoming’s resources for sexual assault victims are limited compared to bigger cities, according to Amanda DeDiego, assistant professor of counseling at the University of Wyoming at Casper College.
DeDiego joined Jennifer Dyer, Executive Director of the Casper Self Help Center, and Ashley Garcia, a survivor of human trafficking, for a panel on women’s issues at the Bourgeois Pig in June.
Just as staff awareness at establishments can help keep a potentially violent sexual situation from evolving, Garcia said self-awareness is instrumental in deterring predators.
“The first step in the grooming process with a predator of any kind is finding their victim via their vulnerability,” Garcia said at the June panel discussion. Age and insecurity, especially about physical appearance, are two key vulnerabilities, she said. The predator will then try to nurture dependence and isolate a victim from their family or friends.
“We talk to [youth] about taking those vulnerabilities and not only recognizing them, but owning them,” Garcia said. “If you have that knowledge and that self-awareness, they’re going to sense that and be like, oh that’s not someone I can easily mess with. They want the easiest possible target.”
DeDiego said understanding the nature of consent is essential for empowering people to avoid become victims. She offered the acronym ‘FRIES’ to highlight the key points of true consent, which is:
- Freely given (no pressure, manipulation, or drugs)
- Reversible (saying ‘yes’ one time does mean it’s given every time)
- Informed
- Enthusiastic
- Specific (saying ‘yes’ to one activity does not mean saying ‘yes’ to another)
“There is no gray area [around consent] once you recognize your own vulnerabilities,” Garcia said.
Both Dyer and Fritzler said that stigmas surrounding sexual assault persist, and that prosecuting it is still difficult.
“It is hard to win a sexual assault trial,” Fritzler said, saying that questions about a victim’s dress and level of intoxication often arise with juries.
“I think it is getting better,” Dyer said. “But we know, culturally, it takes so much time — decades — to do these cultural mind shifts… There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done with it.”
Resources:
The Self-Help Center of Casper works with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and elder abuse. It offers offers mental health services, housing resourcing, court advocacy, and operates Natrona County’s only 30-day emergency safe house.
- Self Help Center of Casper (24-hour hotline): (307) 235-2814
- Natrona County Safe Ride: (307) 235-7598
- Leslie Fritzler, CPD Victim Specialist: (307) 235-8347
- Casper Police Department (307) 235-8278)
- Safe 2 Tell: 1-844-WYO-SAFE (1-844-996-7233)
