In its continued effort to promote its You Have Options Program (YHOP) to encourage reporting of sexual assault, the Brighton Police Department has launched a new campaign featuring the YHOP banner on city bus shelters and benches. As part of this campaign, three bus shelters (two of which are in English and one in Spanish) and one bus bench (in Spanish) feature the YHOP banner in Brighton, with a mirrored setup of bus shelters and a bus bench in Commerce City — locations in Brighton are at Bridge Street west of S. 18th Ave. (nearby Safeway), Bromley Lane west of Fulton Ave. (nearby Walmart), Platte Valley Medical Center east of 1600 Prairie Center Parkway, and 4th Avenue north of Jessup St.
Funding comes from a Victims of Crime Act grant to continue the City’s outdoor YHOP campaign. Under-reporting of sexual assault remains a major problem throughout this country. The nationally-recognized You Have Options Program uses a victim-centered approach to offer options to victims of sexual violence who are considering reporting to law enforcement. The program ensures that every reporting party receives advocacy services throughout the process. In 2015, the Brighton Police Department was the first agency to adopt the You Have Options Program, after it was initiated by the Ashland, Oregon Police Department. As a certified YHOP agency, Brighton Police remains committed to sexual assault victims that they will not only be heard, but also have their individual concerns addressed during both the reporting and investigative process. Officers and detectives receive advanced training on trauma interviewing and investigative strategies to identify serial sexual perpetrators. This program is a commitment to victims of sexual assault to work with them through this process, should they choose to report.
“We understand that every victim of sexual assault will have unique concerns during the reporting process and we will work with each victim to address those concerns,” said Brighton Police Chief Paul Southard.
Reports of sexual assault can be made by phone at 303-655-2301, online, or in-person at Brighton Police headquarters located at 3401 E. Bromley Lane (or call 303-655-2301 to request that a police officer meets with you). All reports can be done anonymously. To learn more about YHOP and reporting options, visit www.reportingoptions.org/brighton-co.
If you have questions, please contact Kim Messina, Victim Services Manager for the Brighton and Commerce City Police Departments, at kmessina@brightonco.gov or 303-655-2308.