San Francisco police are urging anyone who has been sexually assaulted to come forward, pointing victims toward the department's Special Victims Unit and reminding the public to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. The reminder arrives as prosecutors pursue charges against a 36-year-old man accused of assaulting a woman inside a tent in the city's Bayview district last month.
The San Francisco Police Department posted the guidance, stating plainly that “anyone who is a victim of sexual assault is urged to contact the SFPD” and that victim advocates are “on site, ready to assist,” according to San Francisco Police
. The post listed (415) 553-9225 as the number for the department's Special Victims Unit. That figure conflicts with the number published on SFPD's own sexual-assault services page, which instead lists 1-415-553-1361 alongside an email contact, according to the
San Francisco Police Department
. The department has not explained the discrepancy between the two listed numbers.
What the Special Victims Unit Does
Per the same SFPD sexual-assault page, the Special Victims Unit investigates all reported cases of sexual assault, sexual battery or incest, and is located on the fifth floor of the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street. Once a report is filed, an SVU investigator is assigned to the case and works with the District Attorney's Office to connect the victim with a victim advocate, the department's guidance states. Victims who are unsure whether to involve police can also go to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, where specially trained nurses provide free care around the clock, according to the same SFPD page.
Separate guidance from SF.gov notes that receiving a rape kit does not obligate a survivor to file a police report, and that reporting is not a prerequisite for getting support. The UCSF Care Advocate program adds that specialized medical services at the same hospital are free regardless of whether police are involved, that there is no time limit on reporting a sexual assault, and that survivors may stop participating in a police investigation at any point. The same guidance states that survivors can have a victim advocate and at least one other support person present during interviews with law enforcement or attorneys.
The Bayview Case Behind the Renewed Appeal
In the Bayview district case, officers arrested David Vonstetten, 36, in connection with a sexual assault investigation carried out in partnership with the District Attorney's Office. According to Patch, a 21-year-old woman told authorities she woke up inside a tent on a hill near Bayshore Boulevard and Industrial Street to find Vonstetten sexually assaulting her. Police said the two did not know each other before the attack.
After the woman left the tent, a witness helped her call police, and the station's report says an officer immediately began collecting evidence before locating Vonstetten and taking him into custody. San Francisco prosecutors charged Vonstetten on Wednesday with sodomy of an unconscious person, sodomy by intoxication, sodomy by force, sexual battery by restraint, and felony false imprisonment, per the same account. The case remains under investigation, and prosecutors asked anyone with information to contact police at 415-575-4444.
Victims' Rights Under State Law
California Family Code Section 6228 entitles victims of alleged sexual assault, or their representatives, to copies of incident reports within five working days unless there is good cause for delay, according to the San Francisco Police Department. That protection, combined with the no-report-required medical care outlined by SF.gov and UCSF, is central to how the city frames its options for survivors weighing whether to engage with police at all.
