Ithaca Council Demands Cornell Police Handover Amid Escalating Threats to Jane Doe
The Ithaca Common Council voted 9-1 to compel the Cornell University Police Department to transfer sexual assault and violent crime investigations to the local Ithaca Police Department. This decision follows revelations that campus police omitted critical statements from a 2024 gang-rape allegation by a former student, known as Jane Doe. Simultaneously, Doe faces severe safety risks, including a swatting incident and death threats, prompting her to barricade her family home. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed Attorney General Letitia James to oversee the investigation, while former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates leads an independent review of the university’s response.