Mayport renews dedication to cutting out sexual assaults

Your Navy base is not letting news of a rise in sexual assaults in the military go unnoticed.

“We are investing a tremendous amount of time and resources in to education and training,” says Naval Station Mayport Commanding Officer Captain Doug Cochrane.

Cochrane says beginning about one year ago, when the Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Defense first implemented a zero-tolerance policy on sexual assault, the base has made a push to educate everyone about the crime.

“We’re trying to get to the left of the problem and be proactive to this crime,” he says.

A lot of that comes through bystander intervention, something Cochrane tells me has been a recent focus.  They also make sure there is awareness of all the resources available to victims, including a 24/7 on-call advocate.

“They have at their fingertips a number of resources to help out a victim,” he says.

Cochrane says the focus at the base and national level are important, especially upon learning about the rising trend in assaults.

“One sexual assault in the United States Navy is too many,” he says.

But he has confidence that this generation of sailors coming in to Mayport and the Navy at-large have the dedication to cutting out the crime entirely.