By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Ed Howell, director of police at Fort Hays State University, recently became the 46th president of the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police.
Howell is only the second university police officer to be elected president.
The KACP, formed in 1965, has grown to more than 400 chiefs of police from across the state “dedicated to the advancement of law enforcement.”
The group’s Articles of Incorporation state that KACP is a nonprofit corporation organized “to secure a closer official relationship amongst police officials throughout the state; to secure unity of action in police matters; to elevate the standard of police institutions and the police profession generally; to pursue humane efforts in the enforcement of laws; to encourage the advancement and perfection of a uniform police system within the state of Kansas.”
A “closer official relationship” among several professional groups is apparent in a sexual assault awareness program Howell helped organize in Hays.
“Our first concern is the victim: Are the medical needs being met? Then, are the psychological needs being met?” Howell explained.
“In my view, we have an excellent community response,” Howell said. “Hays Medical Center, Options Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Services, Fort Hays State University, Hays Police, FHSU Police, the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department.
“If a sexual assault does occur, we have services that are available. If you take a look at the community response over the past five years, you have a collaborative effort from all these entities to reduce this issue (sexual assault).
“We now have the SANE START examinations available in Hays (at Hays Med). A couple years back, we had to transport victims to Salina to get a forensic examination. You can imagine how that made a victim feel.”
FHSU Police has new information available for students, as well as the general public, for protection against sexual assault. The card includes safety tips, a definition of sexual assault, how to be an active bystander and what to do if you become a victim of sexual assault.
Howell said the cards are readily available and are also handed out at area wellness fairs.