UW detective knows firsthand the trauma of rape victims

When Detective Carol Ann Glassmaker makes contact with a sexual assault survivor, she brings to bear years of training and the resources of the UW Police Department.

But life experience, not just as a police officer, is often her greatest asset.

Glassmaker, sensitive crimes detective for the UWPD, was herself sexually assaulted at the age of 16, as a student at Madison Memorial High School. The trauma of the violent attack, and its aftermath, has shaped her career and the way she approaches her work.

“I can still see his face — he had a knife,” she says of her attacker, who was never apprehended. “The only thing I can do now is to use that experience to help other people. I’m satisfied that when we’re able to get (a rapist) off of the street, I’m helping give a victim power back over his or her life.”

After the attack, Glassmaker worked as an advocate for rape victims and began a career in law enforcement, first working as a loss-prevention manager at a department store before moving on to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office. She joined the UW–Madison force in 1998 and is “here for life.”

In addition to sexual assault, she handles other sensitive crimes on campus, including stalking, harassment, domestic violence, nuisance phone calls, workplace violence and narcotics.

Working her way up through the UWPD ranks, Glassmaker knew she wanted to be in a position to help sexual assault survivors during the difficult aftermath of their own assaults. From her perspective, the key issue is how survivors decide to pursue the outcome of their cases.

Whether they seek help from the Dean of Students Office, Rape Crisis Center, a hospital or UWPD, survivors have total control over their cases, and no one will force a survivor to pursue a case legally.

However, it is widely believed that rape is the most underreported crime, with victims unwilling to step forward out of guilt, fear of being blamed, unwillingness to report an acquaintance or concern about a bad experience with law enforcement.

Glassmaker, who grew up in a Catholic family, says she failed to report her own rape and regrets it even today. When a rape is reported, survivors are guided to resources, and police are able to gather crucial biological evidence for an investigation.

On a broader level, increased reporting would continue to destigmatize rape and send a message to attackers that there are serious consequences for their actions, she says.

“It eats at me every day that I never reported it,” she says. “I wanted to report it, but I thought I had done something wrong, and I didn’t want the police to come.”

Although Glassmaker doesn’t disclose her experience to every survivor she assists, understanding the trauma of the attack and aftermath shapes her personal response to survivors and the way she trains other UWPD officers and University Housing housefellows. Since she was promoted to detective last year, Glassmaker has overseen four sexual assault investigations, and worked on dozens more as an officer and a victim advocate.

“I’ll never say that I know exactly what (a survivor) is going through, because everyone experiences that trauma differently,” she says. “But I’m completely sympathetic to how hard it is to tell someone about being assaulted. Imagine talking to a stranger about your last sexual encounter in great detail.

“When we meet a person who has been assaulted, we need to understand that this is a call of a lifetime for this victim,” she adds. “Our demeanor and support will make a lasting impression. When someone makes the decision to report the assault, that is a huge step for them.”

Although other UWPD detectives also have done excellent work, Yolanda Garza, assistant dean in the Dean of Students office, says Glassmaker’s personal experience with sexual assault adds a level of personal commitment to the issue.

“For a student victim, I think it adds a sense of common ground when they learn that they’re talking to someone who has also experienced a horrific crime,” Garza says. “In some cases, it’s easier for a female victim to talk to another woman (about an assault). We’re glad she’s here.”