Tune in to NPR's @1a today at 10AM to hear @CarolTracyWLP discuss @CNN's expose on police destroying rape kits the1a.org/audio/live
.@CNN reported that a police dept in Missouri were routinely sending letters telling rape victims they had 10 days to decide if they wanted to prosecute after #Destroyed
A "rape kit" is the forensic exam given survivors after assault. It can take a few hours. rainn.org/articles/rape-… #Destroyed
The nationwide investigation in police destroying rape kits was launched after Fayetteville, NC police chief held a 2015 press conference & announced they had destroyed rape kits mic.com/articles/12565…
"The bottom line is we were just freeing up space in the evidence room." There was no written protocol & "no accountability whatsoever" - Lt. John Somerindyke SVU, Fayetteville PD #Destroyed
"The culture [of the police department] was just that [rapes] weren't a priority" - Lt. John Somerindyke #Destroyed
25 agencies in 14 states destroyed rape kits before the statute of limitations expired #Destroyed cnn.com/interactive/20…
Since the expose published last week, some police depts have pledged to ensure police are not destroying rape kits cnn.com/2018/12/05/hea…
.@EndtheBacklog has updated their model legislation to add a provision prohibiting destruction of rape kits
The police chief in Springfield, Missouri, has apologized to the city's sexual assault victims and ordered changes in how the department handles sex crimes cases cnn.com/2018/12/03/hea…
Springfield, MO police say they "will no longer give sex crimes victims a 10-day deadline to respond to investigators or face the closure of their cases" #Destroyed
Springfield, MO was also reportedly giving "victims so-called prosecution declination waivers, a practice long discouraged by the International Association of Chiefs of Police" #Destroyed cnn.com/2018/12/03/hea…
Criminal justice reform for rape survivors began after @PhillyInquirer exposed that the Philadelphia Police Dept was failing to investigate 1 in 3 rape cases - @CarolTracyWLP #Destroyed
To begin reform, Philly PD re-opened 681 felony rape cases & 1100 serious penetrative sex crimes #Destroyed
"We make sure the police interview is not an interrogation" of rape victims - @CarolTracyWLP #Destroyed
"In the early days, we'd see questions like 'What were you wearing? Why were you there? Why were you alone?' Victim-blaming questions is what we're looking for" - @CarolTracyWLP #Destroyed
{You can still tune in: the1a.org/audio/live}
Important to note that gender bias in policing means bias against men as well: men are even less likely to report sexual assault #Destroyed
Proper investiation of sex crimes seeks justice and redress for victims, but also public safety. Processing kits can lead to a hit in the database that informs another case. "There's no public safety interest in destroying critical evidence" - @CarolTracyWLP #Destroyed
There is a policy solution of prohibiting the destruction of rape kits and also best practice, such as the Philadelphia Model developed by @WomensLawProj #Destroyed #1A
