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Sheriff Allard Condemns Social Media Posts About April 24th

April 22, 2021

From Sheriff Jim Allard:

National press outlets have been reporting disturbing, and disgusting, viral social media reports that April 24th is “National Rape Day” – a day on which tiktok and Facebook stories claim some type of organized sexual assault program will take place. As the Chief Law Enforcement Officers of Steuben County we want all of our residents to know that there is no credible intelligence to support this threat. And though this is nothing more than viral urban myth it presents an opportunity for all of us to do the right thing to stop it and stand together against sexual violence.

Sheriff Allard wants all Steuben County residents to know “sexual assault is a crime that affects not only the victim, but the victim’s family and the community, forever. It is never to be treated lightly and will never be tolerated. We will bring all resources to bear to investigate and arrest in any sexual assault case.”

District Attorney Baker adds “Sexual assault is a community tragedy inflicted by violence on individual victims. Sexual offenders attack in private, and depend on silence and fear. This type of social media generated panic does nothing but help foster that environment and hurt victims. One way we can all fight sexual violence is by refusing to feed into this type of mass rumor, refusing to share it, refusing to give it credence, refusing to make even discussion of this type of behavior socially acceptable – because it is not.”

We want to remind the community that vigilance and victim support by parents, friends, school officials and co-workers help fight sexual violence. We also want to remind everyone that sex offenses are compassionately investigated and aggressively prosecuted with success in Steuben County. Sex offenders are viewed harshly when it comes time for sentence.

If you or someone close to you is or has been a victim of sexual assault please reach out for help – the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 1-844-drugtip, www.844drugtip.com or the Steuben-NY Sheriff App can be a great place to start.


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