A local committee has created a system for reporting prejudice-related problems in an attempt to prevent future occurrences.

Breaking Down the Barriers, a committee dedicated to improving multiculturalism and diversity in Ames, is asking members of the community to anonymously report bias incidents through a form available on the City of Ames Web site, or at more than 20 locations throughout the city.

Loras Jaeger, Ames Police chief and co-chairman of the committee, said he feels strongly about addressing bias and discrimination to make the Ames and ISU community a better, safer place to live.

“This is 2005; this ought not be going on. This is an education-based community, and we should all be more intelligent,” Jaeger said. “This is a project we took on to deal with [the prejudice problems].”

The information reported will be reviewed by the city manager, then shared with the appropriate groups to determine what incidents are occurring, what areas need to be monitored and what changes need to be made in the law, he said.

Sheila Lundt, assistant city manager, said there hasn’t been an increase in incidents. She also said she senses Iowa State may feel prejudice-related problems are escalating.

“If there is a pattern established [through the surveys], with the same type of bias incidents occurring in one area, we will have police monitor that area more closely,” she said.

This system is an outlet for members of the community to report incidents anonymously, without filing a formal complaint and being asked a lot of questions. This could be beneficial to areas like the Ames High School, where there are few methods for reporting bias, Lundt said.

“We should be able to stop these incidents without actually knowing the responsible parties,” she said. “In order to file a formal complaint, we need to know both the victim’s name and who the responsible party is … This information is often unavailable or not known.”

Also, specific incidents are often emotionally hurtful, personal or embarrassing. By allowing the anonymous forms, community members should not hesitate, and the city will have a much clearer idea of the problems with prejudice within the community, Lundt said.

If an incident is reported and was criminal in nature, such as assault, Lundt said it will immediately be referred to the Ames Police Department or ISU Department of Public Safety.

“The forms’ anonymity shouldn’t affect their reliability. These forms are just trying to ascertain what incidents are occurring,” she said. “We run the risk of a certain amount of pranks, but that hasn’t been our experience in the past.”