Tempe police give rape scene tips on prevention

Be aware of surroundings, lock doors and call 911 if there's an emergency. Tempe police issued these warnings at a community meeting Wednesday afternoon to residents at Gateway at Tempe apartments, 1655 E. University Drive, where a woman was sexually assaulted on Sunday and another was nearly raped earlier this month.

"To put you at ease, those two incidents are not related," said Tempe police Cmdr. Vince Buerbon told a crowd of nearly 25 residents, most ASU students.

On Sunday about 1 a.m., four men followed a 20-year-old woman from one side of the complex to her apartment, then went inside and held her down while one sexually assaulted her.

On Feb. 7, a man entered a 19-year-old woman's apartment in the same complex through a second-floor window and climbed on top of her while she slept.

But in this case, the woman bit her attacker's hand, and he ran away.

"I have a daughter, and she's got two roommates, and I feel like her safety is in danger," said Julie Hill, a Phoenix mother attending the meeting.

Hill said she has been trying for days to request that her daughter be able to break the lease, since she often returns home from classes late at night and feels unsafe walking from her car to her apartment.

Gateway property manager Jennifer Gonzales said she is doing the best she can to return a number of calls received from parents and residents in recent days.

Also, she told Hill, management would have to "talk with" those who want to breaktheir leases at the community, which has more than 900 residents.

Gonzales said the complex has added three 24-hour security guards to patrol the community and has begun repairs on a broken gate.

The complex also plans to hold another meeting next week for residents who couldn't attend Wednesday's meeting.

In addition to Tempe police, ASU police and counselors from the campus attended the event along with Tempe Social Services and representatives of Valley Protective Services, which will provide security for the complex.

"We routinely do sexual assault and alcohol education," said ASU police Cmdr. Jim Hardina. "When this happens, it perks everyone's interest and they actually listen to this."