The Department of Justice ad Thursday that he will investigate the NYPD’s Special Victims Division following allegations that detectives tend to “retraumatize” sexual assault victims.
“Over the past few months, we have obtained troubling information from a variety of sources regarding historical questions about how the Special Victims Division has conducted its investigations for many years,” US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement for the Eastern District of New York.
The investigation will assess whether the Special Victims Division (SVD) engages in a “pattern or practice of gender-biased policing,” and the department will conduct a “comprehensive review of policies, procedures, and training for SVD investigations.” the SVD on crimes of sexual assault,” according to the statement. Areas you will investigate include:
- How SVD interacts with survivors and witnesses, collects evidence and completes investigations.
- How the unit allocates staff and other resources.
- Any steps the NYPD has taken to address deficiencies in its handling of sexual assault crimes.
- The services and support offered to survivors of sexual assault.
The Justice Department informed New York Mayor Eric Adams and New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell of the investigation.
Last year, several sexual assault survivors asked the Justice Department to investigate what they described as the New York Police Department’s systematic mishandling of sex crime cases. The DOJ press release notes that the department received information “indicating deficiencies in SVD that have persisted for more than a decade.”
In March 2018, the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) released a report that found the division understaffed and under-resourced for nine years, despite recommendations from an NYPD task force. York and warnings from division leadership. The report included internal NYPD documents obtained by the DOI that “recognize that many sexual assault cases are not adequately investigated due to staffing and resource limitations.”
But the NYPD disputed the DOI report, calling it “an investigation in name only.”
The New York Police told Insider in a statement that “welcomes the review” by the Justice Department.
“As an agency, we have made a commitment to improve the quality of our investigations and the care provided by the Special Victims Division when working with some of the most vulnerable crime survivors,” the department said.
In its statement, the NYPD said it has already taken some steps to streamline the split, noting that Sewell previously named a new SVD commanding officer using input from survivor advocates.
The department has also been consulting with sexual assault survivors and counselors, he added.
“The SVD has also been strengthened by increased investigator numbers, specialized training, and the creation of new facilities designed with the comfort of survivors in mind,” the NYPD added.
Commissioner Sewell said in a statement that the department’s “goal is for the SVD to be the national model.”
“I believe that any constructive review of our practices in the Special Victims Division will show that the NYPD has evolved and improved in this area, but we will be transparent and open to criticism as well as ideas in the process,” he said. .
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