PHILADELPHIA –
There is now a sexual assault response coordinator at the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support to help ensure employees have a safe work environment that is free of sexual assault.
Ella Wynn started working in DLA’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program in September 2016, a program initiated by Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Andy Busch.
“With Lt. Gen. Busch’s vision in mind, we are working very hard to establish a climate where incidents of sexual assaults do not happen,” said Wynn. “The program is about respect, dignity, fairness and treating everyone the way you would like to be treated.
Some of the services that Wynn provides are:
- Victim advocacy
- Provide immediate crisis response
- Confidential and unrestricted sexual assault reporting (confidential reporting for civilians may be limited by local and state jurisdictions)
- Accompaniment to medical appointments and legal or court proceedings
- Resources and referrals to military or civilian programs
- On-site interviews or accompaniment to local law enforcement agency
- Liaison with the command
The the DLA SAPR hotline – 1-800-841-0937 – is also available 24/7.
“I want to make sure people know that I am here to provide (SAPR) services,” said Wynn. “I want to build the program from the ground up, so civilians everywhere know that these services are not only available to the military, but also to civilians as well.”
Before coming to DLA, Wynn worked with the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program at Fort Detrick, Maryland.
Wynn is one of eight sexual assault response coordinators at DLA’s primary level field activities. There is also a program manager and SAPR specialist at DLA Headquarters in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Renée Ferranti is DLA’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program manager and has been molding the program for the last year-and-a-half.
“A lot of the materials that (the Department of Defense) has or the service branches have don’t fit us,” said Ferranti. “We spend a lot of time right now at the foundation level, creating everything from brochures to policies, posters and (Learning Management System) training.”
Ferranti stressed that employees can contact SARCs about incidents that happen at any time.
“It doesn’t have to be something that occurred during the workday,” said Ferranti. “It could have been something that happened on the weekend or in their personal life. We can still provide services.”
She also emphasized that the DLA SAPR hotline isn’t just for crises, but for supervisors and employees who want more information.
You can visit these sites for more information:
- DLA Sexual Assault Prevention and Response website
- www.SafeHelpline.org – Sexual assault support for DOD community
- DOD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response website
- Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network – the nation’ largest anti-sexual violence organization