Call the police immediately if you are ever approached by an assailant – whether he successfully assaults you or not. The fact that you were able to evade his attack does not diminish the fact that he was attempting to commit a crime and the attack should be reported just like any other. Even if they don’t catch him right away, the information you provide may prove very helpful if and when he is ever prosecuted for your attack or another crime.

First and foremost, get to a safe place! Nothing else matters if you aren’t in a safe environment. Begin trying to recall the details of the event. Write them down or record them into your cell phone answering machine, especially if you were able to see and remember a license plate number. Do NOT wash your hands or body or remove your clothing – especially if you and your attacker made physical contact. You may have his DNA under your fingernails and that, if properly harvested, can be used to help identify him later on.

It will be your responsibility to provide an accurate description of your attacker to the police. You may not remember all of the details immediately after your attack but the more information you can provide the better. Certain pieces of information are easier to assess and remember than others. Start with the following:

• Sex (male or female)
• Race, skin color, or nationality
• Hair color is easy to remember. Length is relative as short, medium, and long mean different things to different people. Try to remember the length in terms of body parts (ear length, shoulder length, mid-back, etc).
• Facial hair
• Clothing. Remember the color first, style second. What type of pants? Blue jeans, slacks? Again, color first, style second.
• Shoes. Was he wearing sneakers, high tops, low tops, boots, etc?

You might think it is important to remember the color of your assailant’s eyes but eye color is hardest to see from a distance and won’t help officers find him. You will also have a tough time guessing how old your attacker is, but if you can place him into a general category (juvenile, teen, young adult, etc) the police will have something to work with. Height and weight are difficult as well but if you can compare your attacker to someone you know who is similar in size you will have a great starting point when providing your description.

If your attacker escaped in an automobile you’ll want to provide a description of that as well. The most important things to remember are the color, year, make, model, body type, license plate, and state.

You might find this a bit overwhelming if you know nothing about cars. At the very least you should attempt to remember the license plate number. The color and body type should come next. The rest is bonus information if you’re able to guess or obtain it.

Sexual assault is a serious crime. Don’t be embarassed to report it – ever. Your life is incredibly valuable, as are the lives of those he may attack if the valuable information you’ve gathered is never put to good use!

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