Reporting Options
Reporting is both a right and an individual choice.
If you are considering reporting, you may want to:
Even if you choose not to request a University investigation or alternative dispute resolution process, you still have the right to request adjustments to your academic, living, and working situations. Review the Supportive Measures and Survivor Resources pages to learn more.
Making a Title IX report
The University of Washington is committed to providing ways for all community members to report discrimination, harassment, and violence based on sex, gender, pregnancy status, and LGBTQ+ identity.
All UW staff, faculty, students, and members of the public are encouraged to make a Title IX report to share concerns, while certain employees are required to do so. The Title IX Office strives to protect the privacy of individuals involved in Title IX-related matters, and most employees and students can choose to remain anonymous.
You can access the Title IX reporting form on the Make a Title IX Report page. On that page, you can learn more about what happens when a Title IX report is submitted and how to submit a report anonymously.
Requesting Action & Submitting a Formal Complaint
The Title IX Office offers a range of options for addressing concerns related to sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, and discrimination. Participation in any resolution process is voluntary. Resolution options may include;
Formal disciplinary actions or sanctions can only be imposed when a University investigation finds that an individual has violated the Student Conduct Code or University policy. University action is separate from a police report.
A formal complaint is a request for the University to take action to address conduct that may be a violation of the UW Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) or University Policy. Submitting a formal complaint is necessary to begin an alternative dispute resolution process or request a University investigation.
Learn more about UW policies related to sex discrimination including sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship violence, stalking, discrimination, and retaliation at Title IX Policies.
To learn about or request a resolution option, contact the Title IX Office by making an online Title IX report, calling, or emailing to request an intake. The information you share during the intake will help determine whether your concerns are within the scope of what the University can take action on. If desired, a case manager can then guide you through submitting a formal complaint.
- Intake Meeting: A Title IX case manager or University investigator will schedule a meeting with you to gather information about your complaint. During this meeting, they will explain the resolution options and ask for details about what happened.
- Review of Information: After the meeting, the Title IX Office will review the information you provided to determine if the University can initiate a resolution process.
- Provide Resolution Options: You will be informed whether the university can initiate a resolution process.
The Title IX Office is committed to supporting you through this process and ensuring you understand your options. You can also review the available resolution options on the university’s website to understand the choices you may have.
Making a report to the police
Filing a police report and criminal or civil charges is a personal choice that requires consideration of all the available options.
If you’ve been sexually assaulted and live in the City of Seattle, or if the assault took place in Seattle, there is an additional resource available to you. SEEK THEN SPEAK is a tool to support survivors of sexual assault to explore their options, connect with local resources, and, if they desire, begin the process of reporting their sexual assault.
For emergencies, call 911 to connect with your local police department.
Bothell Campus
You can contact the Bothell Police Department at their business line at 425-486-1254.
Seattle Campus
You can contact the University of Washington Police Department on its non-emergency phone line at 206-685-8973.
If the incident occurred off-campus, you can contact the Seattle Police Department at their non-emergency phone line, 206-625-5011.
Tacoma Campus
You can contact the Tacoma Police Department on its non-emergency phone line, 253-287-4455.
Filing a police report
A police report documents the incident and is the first step toward filing criminal charges. When you contact the police to make the report, an officer will meet with you at a location where you choose to take the report. You have the right to have a support person or confidential advocate with you during the conversation.
The officer will ask you detailed questions about the incident and gather information about any witnesses and the perpetrator. The process may end here as many police departments will accommodate the choice to report to police and not prosecute. Most police departments allow victims to file incident reports without pressure to go further. You may wish only to file a report to qualify for victim compensation or establish a record.
If you’ve been sexually assaulted and live in the City of Seattle, or the assault took place in Seattle, there is an additional resource available to you. Seek Then Speak is a tool to support survivors of sexual assault to explore their options, connect with local resources, and, if they desire, begin the process of reporting their sexual assault. Learn more at Seek then Speak.
Investigation
A report to police goes to the police unit in the precinct where the assault occurred. This could be the UW Police Department, Seattle Police Department, Tacoma Police Department, Bothell Police Department, or another. A detective who specializes in sexual misconduct cases will be assigned and will usually call you within a few days to ask more questions and discuss the case. The detective will investigate the incident by gathering evidence — including any physical evidence collected during a medical exam by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) — and interviewing witnesses and the alleged perpetrator. The detective will compile the information they learned and provide it to the County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Filing criminal charges
A prosecuting attorney will review the detective’s investigation and determine if there is enough evidence to move forward, thereby officially charging the alleged perpetrator with a crime. The prosecuting attorney bases their decision on whether there is enough evidence to prove the case “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Although you cannot control whether your case is prosecuted, most prosecutors will not go forward without your consent. Once you report an assault to the police, you become a witness in the state’s case against the alleged perpetrator. Prosecutors typically consider various factors in determining whether to prosecute without the victim’s consent, including whether there is sufficient evidence to support a conviction without the victim’s testimony, whether the victim has been threatened into not cooperating, and whether there are other reasons a victim may not want to participate. Rarely will a sexual assault victim be forced to participate as a witness in criminal proceedings against their will.
The case will not go forward if the prosecutor does not think there is strong evidence. This does not mean that the assault did not occur. You still have other options; for example, you may want to consider filing a civil lawsuit.
Filing Civil charges
Filing a civil lawsuit involves contacting a private attorney who will represent you in bringing charges against the individual who assaulted you.