INITIAL ALERTEmail
Timely Warning: Sexual Assault
On Saturday, October 26, 2024 the Department of Public Safety received a report that a sexual assault/fondling occurred near Brown's campus. The incident is reported to have occurred on Friday, October 25, 2024 at approximately 9:00 pm near the intersection of Young Orchard Avenue and Cook Street.
The suspect is not known to the victim. The victim was uninjured.
Providence Police is actively investigating this incident, and the appropriate campus units are working with individuals involved to provide resources and support.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Brown University Department of Public Safety at 401-863-3322.
This Timely Warning is issued in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
'Sexual assault/fondling' compound classification reflects FBI UCR Part I definitions: 'fondling' is a sex offense distinct from rape, but Clery aggregates both under 'sex offenses'
Stranger-perpetrator alerts are statistically less common than acquaintance assault alerts — the 'continuing threat' rationale is much clearer when the suspect is unknown
Naming the cross-streets (Young Orchard Avenue and Cook Street) is best-practice — vague 'near campus' wording has been criticized by Clery scholars
Providence Police, not Brown DPS, leads the investigation because the location is off-campus public way under PPD's primary jurisdiction
Brown is currently under [federal Clery Act review](https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-announces-review-of-brown-university-potential-clery-act-violations) — its alerting practices are under heightened scrutiny