CHAPEL HILL - When a sexual assault victim seeks help, all the agencies that assist such people in Orange County now know not only what they're supposed to do but what one another does as well.

Representatives from the 15 medical, counseling and law enforcement agencies in the county's Sexual Assault Response Team signed guidelines Tuesday that spell out their roles.

"What we're hoping is that they'll ensure consistency," said Christina Riordan, executive director of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center.

Riordan said it's helpful for the crisis counselors to be able to advise victims of what will happen when they contact the police or go to the hospital for evidence collection.

The team began meeting in 2003 with money from the Governor's Crime Commission. At the time, Riordan said, such response teams were becoming a trend nationwide. The team has continued to meet since then and has spent the past two years creating these guidelines to formalize relationships with the agencies with which it regularly works.

The team members include local law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney's Office, UNC Hospitals, UNC-Chapel Hill and nonprofit centers.

"The SART team recognizes that rape and sexual violence are complex crimes that no one can solve alone," Riordan said.

Riordan said she also hopes the formal guidelines send a clear message to perpetrators of sexual violence that Orange County is serious about holding them accountable for their crimes.

The team will now focus on training, Riordan said, with each agency having the opportunity to teach the others.

In the coming months, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center plans to post the guidelines on its Web site at www.ocrcc.org/.