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The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Division after receiving reports of officers mishandling sexual assault cases and engaging in “gender-biased” practices.
For more than a decade, the NYPD has failed to conduct thorough investigations when receiving reports of sexual assault and instead shamed and abused survivors while reviewing their cases, according to the DOJ. As a result, the department will examine how the sex crimes unit interacts with survivors, how it allocates resources, and what kind of support it offers victims of sexual assault.
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“Survivors of sexual assault should expect effective, trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations by police departments,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. “Based on information provided to the Justice Department, we find significant justification to investigate whether the NYPD’s Special Victims Division engages in a pattern or practice of gender-biased policing. Investigations into sexual assault that comply with the Constitution promote accountability, enhance public safety and foster community trust.”
The investigation comes three years after the city Department of Investigation released a review that determined the sex crimes unit was understaffed and did not take reports of rape seriously. Sexual assault victims also testified in the fall before the city council that the unit failed to investigate their claims and closed investigations without their approval.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The unit was restructured in May after the NYPD released a report from an independent agency recommending policy changes that would give officers “clear expectations” on how to establish a “more consistent and standardized response to sexual assault.” Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell and New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) have also pledged to cooperate with the DOJ’s investigation, the department said.
“There is no higher priority for law enforcement than ensuring that victims of sexual assault get the justice they deserve and the care, support, and treatment they need,” Max Young, a spokesman for Adams, told the Washington Post. “We welcome this review, will cooperate fully in this investigation, and will continue to take all steps necessary to ensure we fix problems that have been decades in the making.”
