(l-r) Sarah Kramer-Harrison and Cyndia Craft of Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program; County Executive
Michael Hein; Nancy Schmidt, deputy probation director; and New Paltz Police Chief Joseph Snyder
KINGSTON – In an effort to reduce sexual assaults, Ulster County Executive Michael Hein, Monday, announced creation of the Bystanders Against Sexual Assault program. It is a component of the county Crime Victims Assistance Program.
The effort that county officials call “ground-breaking,” provides bystander training for bar staff as it aims to prevent sexual assaults before they occur and reduce the overall number of sexual assaults that take place.
County officials said the program is the first of its kind in New York.
It has launched in the college town of New Paltz with the assistance of Town Police Chief Joseph Snyder and Mike Beck, president of the New Paltz Bar and Tavern Association.
Three bars are initially participating in the program – P&G’s Restaurant and Bar, McGillicuddy’s Restaurant and Tap House, and Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub.
Establishments that complete the training will receive a certificate so that SUNY New Paltz students and all county residents will know that business is concerned about the issue and the community.
It is “an important preventative measure,” said Hein.
“It’s a training program that we work with restaurant and
bar owners as well as all of their staff to recognize some of the warning
signs and to be able to understand exactly what steps they can take to
be effective and be preventative.”
Cynthia Craft, “Enough is Enough” coordinator and Ulster County Crime Victims advocate at SUNY New Paltz, said sexual assault is a complex issue. “Alcohol only leads to sexual assault when there is someone present to commit that assault,” she said. “The effects of alcohol on the brain do not only impact the victim making them a vulnerable target, but also play a role in the actions of the perpetrator. It is important that we are focusing on offender behaviors and not victim blaming.”
Craft said they are “trying to change the culture that, knowingly or not, supports sexual assault” and they want to help bars in the county to “send a clear message that certain behaviors will not be tolerated and create a safe space for everyone.”
