State Police Strip Campus Force of Cornell Sexual Assault Probes
New York State Police will assume control of future sexual assault criminal investigations at Cornell University, removing primary jurisdiction from campus officers following public condemnation over the administration’s handling of an alleged fraternity gang rape. Under the newly executed directive, sexual offense complaints will be referred directly to state police for criminal investigation unless an accuser specifically requests otherwise.
State Officers Take Over Campus Investigations
Under the agreement signed between state authorities and Cornell University, sexual offense complaints that previously fell to campus police will now trigger state-level criminal inquiries. The administrative shift coincides with an ongoing no-confidence vote by Cornell’s Faculty Senate against central leadership, with approximately 135 governing members voting on a non-binding resolution through November 6. The enforcement change follows a civil lawsuit filed this year by a survivor identified as Jane Doe, who alleged seven former students drugged her with ketamine and gang-raped her at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. Defense attorneys representing the named former students have denied the civil claims, arguing the activity was consensual or disputing their clients’ involvement.
Governor Kathy Hochul previously designated Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to reopen the criminal investigation into the Jane Doe complaint, while a committee of Cornell’s board of trustees appointed former US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of the university’s sexual assault response policies.
