Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)
The SART, Sexual Assault Response Team, of Monterey County was formed in 1998. It is a victim-sensitive program designed to provide a team approach to responding to survivors of sexual assault in our community who have decided to report the assault.

SART consists of trained nurse examiners and physicians' assistants, also known as Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFE), local law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney's office and rape crisis advocates. The SART approach helps reduce trauma and increase support, while ensuring efficient and consistent evidence collection.   A report to law enforcement MUST be made prior to obtaining a medical exam through the SART team.   All forensic exam costs are covered by law enforcement.

Reporting to Law Enforcement
Once you have decided to report a sexual assault, you can contact law enforcement directly at 911, or call one of our 24 hour crisis lines at
(831) 375-HELP (4357) or (831) 424-HELP (4357) and ask a Rape Crisis Advocate to assist you in making the call. Once the call is placed, a uniformed police officer will meet with you and take a report. You have the right to have someone with you during the interview procedure. On request, a Rape Crisis Advocate can accompany you during the police report. It is important not to douche, shower, bathe, change or destroy your clothes after the assault as they will be collected and used as evidence in future prosecution.  

SART Advocates
Trained SART (Rape Crisis) advocates are on-call 24-hours a day to provide support for sexual assault survivors during the evidentiary exams at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) or Natividad Medical Center. After a report has been made, the SAFE examiner and SART advocate are contacted and respond to the hospital. Advocates provide support to victims and significant others. Male advocates provide advocacy and accompaniment to male survivors and significant others. The evidentiary exams generally take place within 72-hours of the sexual assault, but please know that if more time has passed since the assault, it is still possible to make a police report. A SART advocate can make a huge impact in the healing process by advocating on behalf of sexual assault survivors and providing comfort and support during the medical examination. The SART advocate is completely confidential and anything told to the advocate will not be shared with medical personnel or law enforcement. The advocate is there as an advocate for the survivor.

If the case progresses through the criminal justice system, a Rape Crisis Advocate can also accompany survivors to detective interviews, the District Attorney's office and through the prosecutorial phase in court.

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