BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) – Police in Boulder are stepping up patrols after two sex assaults were reported on the University of Colorado campus.
University of Colorado Police are asking victims and any possible witnesses to come forward after calls were received on Aug. 1 and on Aug. 2 from third parties reporting the attacks.
In both instances someone said a female friend was assaulted and one allegedly happened at Norlin Quad.
Police say they aren’t sure if there were two separate attacks or if the people calling were reporting the same incident.
“It takes a lot of courage to call police and say ‘My friend was assaulted’ and I want to say thank you — at least we have a warning sign that we have sex assaults happening around Boulder,” said Melissa Zak, Deputy Chief of CU Police.
News about the investigations come just as students are poised to return to campus.
Police are responding both by putting more officers on patrol and working with campus housing staff to inform new freshman coming in next week about safe passages and being more vigilant about their surroundings.
Zak said her department urges students to keep cellphones handy or to use the emergency phones on campus if any crimes ever take place.
“I don’t want to create a sense of fear and urgency around the community that there is a rapist running around, but then again I don’t know that until I can get that victim to come forward and talk to us,” Zak said.
