This study examined the characteristics of all sexual assaults reported to the Anchorage Police Department from 2000 through 2003. Key descriptive findings are summarized. * Victims tended to be young and female, with Native women victims in over 45% of reported sexual assaults. * In a majority of the assaults – over 62% – the assailant was not a stranger to the victim. The most common non-stranger relationships included friends and acquaintances. * A majority of the assaults occurred indoors, with 45% taking place at the residence of one or both of those involved. * Sixty-five percent of victims had used alcohol prior to the assault and 74% of suspects had also. * While assaults occurred all over the Municipality of Anchorage, they happened with more frequency in Spenard, Fairview, and Downtown.

Originally published in the Alaska Justice Forum 22(4): 2-3 (Winter 2006).