URBANA – A University of Illinois Police detective was one of 10 law enforcement officials in the country chosen to receive a scholarship to attend a conference which aims to prevent violence against women.

U. of I. Police Det. Rachael Ahart will be able to use the scholarship to attend the International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Systems Change presented by End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI). The scholarship is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women.

“I am excited to have received a law enforcement scholarship to attend the International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Systems Change,” Ahart said. “This conference will allow me to stay up to date on best practices in sexual assault investigation and to learn from leading experts in the field.”

Ahart is a member of the department’s Special Victims Unit, which is designed to better support survivors of campus sexual assault. The detectives in the unit are specially trained to conduct trauma-sensitive interviews and to offer resources and other services in hopes of producing better outcomes for survivors.

Ahart said she hopes to enhance the unit and how the department addresses sexual violence with the information and training she brings back from the conference in April.

“I look forward to passing on new information to UIPD officers and detectives so we can best assist survivors of sexual assault on our campus,” Ahart said.