Sexual assault is a significant health and crime issue within the state of Utah.

The most recent data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicates there were 59.5 reported rapes per 100,000 people in the state in 2022 and 47.8 reported rapes per 100,000 people in Utah County, each figure higher than the national average of 40 reported rapes per 100,000 people.

According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, rape is the only violent crime in the state of Utah that occurs more than the national average.

The Daily Herald is examining rape and other sexual crimes in Utah County, identifying measures being taken to combat the violent crime, hold offenders accountable and offer justice for victims.

Part one provides a glimpse of the actions the Provo Police Department is taking, through a conversation with Lt. Joseph Otte, who oversees the department’s Criminal Investigations Division.

Under Provo police’s Criminal Investigations Division is the Special Victims Unit, which has a supervisor and five full-time detectives who are assigned to investigate sexual crimes. Four detectives investigate any type of sexual crime, while one detective identifies internet crimes against children.

Otte said Provo’s Special Victims Unit took on 216 case investigations between the five detectives in the first five months of 2025. That equates to approximately 43 investigations per month and 43 investigations per detective.

Provo police also has a victims services group of three full-time civilian advocates, one part-time employee and an advocate supervisor. Two victim advocates are fluent Spanish speakers.

Otte said the department’s overarching objective is to provide offender accountability and victim support.

“That’s why we build these investigations,” he said. “We want offender accountability because we understand the lifelong trauma that these people inflict on the victims and the families of the victims, and then we want victims to feel supported, listened to, and that they were treated with dignity during a tough situation.”

The investigation process

Last month, the Provo Police Department was mentioned in a civil suit by an unnamed plaintiff who accused Brigham Young University quarterback Jake Retzlaff of rape.

In the suit, the plaintiff claimed she did not initially share Retzlaff’s name with police out of fear he would retaliate but changed her mind when an officer inquired the name because there was another complaint filed against a football player and police wanted to know if it was the same person.

“At that point,” court documents said, “Jane Doe A.G. shared Retzlaff’s name, and the Provo Police then encouraged her not to do anything because, as they claimed, ‘sexual assault victims never get justice.'”

Provo police responded to the civil suit in a statement and contended this never happened.

“The civil suit states that Provo Police personnel discouraged the victim from proceeding, by telling her there is no justice for victims of sexual assault,” Provo police said. “From everything we have reviewed, this is not true.

“We have a team of dedicated investigators and victim advocates whose sole mission is to provide justice to victims of sexual abuse. They do not send people away, warning them there is no justice for victims.”

Otte said he could not comment further on the civil suit but expounded on how the Special Victims Unit operates.

When someone reports to the police they’ve recently been sexually assaulted, Otte said the first step is to get them to the hospital to collect evidence, where a specially trained nurse will collect swabs for DNA, photograph injuries and collect clothing. Evidence is placed in a kit and sent to the Provo police, who sends it to the state for processing, Otte said.

From there, the individual is connected with a detective from the Special Victims Unit.

“Depending on how the victim feels, we will send a detective there to have an initial conversation so we understand the who, what, where, when, why, how, so that we know if there’s a site that we need to attend to now to go collect additional evidence,” Otte said.

After basic evidence is gathered, Provo police’s victim’s advocate team offers services, and the detective works with the individual to determine the best way forward, according to Otte.

“We can give them time to decide how they want to approach it, how they want to talk about it and what strategies they’re comfortable with us using in the investigative process,” he said.

A further investigation can involve interviewing all parties involved and searching for any video evidence or forensic evidence to support the case.

In some cases, Otte said, a suspect will be taken into custody within “close proximity” of when a sexual assault is reported.

Throughout the process, Otte said police are in close coordination with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, who may offer guidance on how to investigate the case.

“We have an excellent relationship with the Utah County’s Attorney’s Office,” he said. “It’s not that we take the information, we send it over, they make a decision. There’s communication between us and the County Attorney’s office.”

Social media’s influence

When the FBI first reported the revised definition of rape in 2013, Utah’s rate was 52.4 per 100,000 population. That figure has grown in the last decade, rising as high as 65.2 in 2021 before dipping in 2022.

Otte believes the way sexual crimes occur has evolved due to the rise of social media and dating apps, though he could not say for certain whether social media has led to higher instances of sexual assault.

In the past, he explained, one would have to meet someone face-to-face, and oftentimes there was a mutual connection. But now social connections can be made by the touch of the fingertips.

“We have a lot of cases that originate from first contact on a technology app. … Nowadays you can meet strangers across the globe in minutes, seconds,” he said. “So it’s definitely created an opportunity that wasn’t there 10 years ago.”

But sexual crimes can occur in a variety of forms, and Otte said it’s the department’s responsibility to take a proactive approach in identifying the crimes.

Last week, a man was arrested by Provo police after allegedly touching two girls in the swimming pool at the Provo Recreation Center. In September 2024, a Provo woman was arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse and trafficking her own daughter.

“It’s a tough assignment, because these are heinous crimes that you’re going to hear about in detail regularly, and that can take a toll on people,” Otte said. “When these crimes are committed, we are going to do our very best to present a strong case on behalf of the victim. And then at the same time, we’re very victim focused. We want victims to feel comfortable with the investigation. We want them to feel supported. We want to make sure they have the resources that they need to to manage the process.”