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Arapahoe County proclaims April 2025 Sexual Assault Awareness Month; DA, prosecutor and sheriff urge reporting and survivor support
Summary
The board unanimously adopted a proclamation declaring April 2025 Sexual Assault Awareness Month; Eighteenth Judicial District DA Amy Patton, Chief Deputy Chris Gallo and Sheriff Tyler Brown spoke about underreporting, prosecution, and survivor services.
The Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners on April 22 adopted a proclamation establishing April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and heard remarks from the district attorney’s office and the county sheriff about underreporting, prosecution and survivor support.
Commissioner Warren Gully moved to adopt the proclamation; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
Amy Patton, district attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial District, said sexual assault is widely underreported and urged victims to report so prosecutors and law enforcement can review cases. "The vast majority of sexual assaults go unreported," Patton said, and she added that recent changes in Colorado law have focused prosecutions on consent rather than proving force.
Chris Gallo, chief deputy district attorney and head of the special victims unit, described his unit’s staffing and cooperative work with detectives and victim-witness specialists. "Our special victims unit is comprised of 6 attorneys, 3 investigators, 3 victim witness specialists, and a paralegal," Gallo said, and he noted the unit prosecutes sexual- and child-based offenses across municipalities in the district.
Sheriff Tyler Brown thanked the board and urged survivors to seek help, stressing that law enforcement and the DA's office are safe points of contact. "Only 30% of these are reported," Brown said, underscoring the gap between incidence and reporting. He encouraged people to speak with local police, the sheriff's office or the DA’s office and noted treatment and accountability are part of the response.
Commissioner Campbell and others discussed the role of shame and the need for trauma-informed investigations and post-event treatment, highlighting mental-health and victim-support services. The proclamation text cited local DA referral statistics for March 2025 and affirmed the county’s intent to support survivors and work with justice agencies to hold offenders accountable.
The board invited DA Patton, chief deputy Gallo and Sheriff Brown to join commissioners for a photograph following the presentation.
