A panel of local experts addressed issues in domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, sexual assault and misconduct in authority on Thursday at the Memorial Union.

The lecture, titled “Confronting Family Violence and Sexual Assault: Community Responses” was led by Ames police chief Chuck Cychosz.

“I think we have a tendency to say, ‘Not here’ … and it is here,” Cychosz said about these issues being present in the Ames community.

The other guest panelists were representatives from the Story County Sexual Assault Response Team, the Youth and Shelter Services, ACCESS, and Jerry Stewart, director of the Department of Public Safety at Iowa State.

Cychosz addressed each issue independently, stating national and state statistics while the other panelists went into depth of what Ames is doing to assist victims and lower the number of these incidents.

“If two people fight in the street … one or two is arrested and that is the last they see of each other,” Cychosz said on domestic violence. “With domestic assault … the next day they have to figure out how to go on, the victim is intertwined in that relationship.”

All four of the panelists agreed that for any of these issues to be eradicated from Ames and Iowa State, students and community members would have to be involved.

“These are issues that need to be talked about in our community,” Cychosz said.