Reading the news in your Oct. 12 issue (“Six sexual assaults reported to Cal Poly”), I couldn’t believe SLOPD Sgt. Chad Pfarr’s statement about sexual assault on campus: students “feel like they got sexually assaulted because they blacked out,” when “it was just something they conjured up.” Is it any wonder that sexual assault victims don’t come forward? This officer is head of investigations for the city of SLO. Can anyone be confident that a report of sexual assault to his department will be taken seriously? If Sgt. Pfarr really believes this about sexual assault complaints, his suitability for his post should be reviewed, and he should be required to take training in the handling of sexual assaults. How long do we have to wait for sexual assault victims to be taken seriously, and for perpetrators to be held responsible for their actions?
Grover Beach
This article appears in October 19-29, 2017.