SEXUAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATION: Why the FBI is the wrong agency to investigate the Kavanaugh Case
The way the news media is reporting this upcoming investigation, one would think the FBI has a lot of experience in investigating and solving sex crimes. Right now the FBI is loved by the left due to what its upper-echelon agents said and did regarding President Donald Trump. But as an investigative agency they have repeatedly disappointed many. And they do not investigate sex crimes.
Rape, next to cold-blooded murder, is one of the most heinous of crimes. It is a vicious, brutal attack on women that leaves irreparable psychological scars long after the devastating experience. And, unfortunately, it is one of the most common crimes committed today, possibly numbering more than the offense of robbery.
The investigation of sex crimes case is extremely difficult and demanding, requiring not only technical expertise and experience, but also sensitivity towards the victim. The detective or prosecutor assigned to investigate should always remain cognizant of the fact that the entire criminal justice process, beginning with the initial police interview right through adjudication, poses an additional ordeal for the sex crime victim and her family and loved ones.
The trauma of sexual attack leaves the victim at once hurt — physically and emotionally — angry, anxious, fearful, vengeful, confused, hate-filled and distrustful. In many cases, the victim blames herself for the act, thinking she contributed to the crime. If she was returning home late from a party, she may tell herself she deserved what she got because of her carelessness late at night or early in the morning. The investigating officer(s) must reassure her that she did nothing wrong. The rapist or sex offender is the one who committed the crime.and the one deserving punishment to the fullest extent of the law.
In some cases, the investigators will find the victim to be uncooperative, even hostile the preliminary stages of the interview/preliminary report. Sensitivity and understanding of the psychology of rape and sexual assault are prerequisites to a successful sex crimes investigation.
Most big-city police departments have specialized units for sex crimes as do most prosecution offices. In New York City, for example, there are several sex crimes squads or units operating within all of NYC’s five boroughs. In addition to the NYPD’s specialized squads, the District Attorney’s Office in each borough have assistant district attorneys assigned to a special sex crimes unit.
However, the vast majority of this nation’s law-enforcement agencies do not possess that luxury. They must rely on all officers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains and, yes, even the police chief to possess a working knowledge of sex crimes investigation. Even a two or three man police agency should at least have a fundamental understanding of procedures to be followed in rape cases. It’s more than likely that county or state police will be called and they will provide the experienced investigators.
The clothing worn by the victim at the time of the sex crime may offers a wealth of evidence and should be secured as soon as possible without embarrassing the victim. This clothing must be sent to the crime lab immediately in order to prevent tainting through a number of mishaps (you’d be surprised at how much evidence is lost or loses its value because of laxity on the part of the officers transporting the evidence to the lab).
At the lab the technicians will examine the clothing for blood, seminal stains, as well as hair and fibers that may lead to the identification of the rapist or confirm the victim’s allegation against someone she knew prior to the crime.
The DNA identification process works best with seminal evidence, because of the abundance of nucleic acid (any of several complex acids found in all living cells i.e. DNA, RNA) found in male reproductive fluid.
Rape and sexual assault are ugly, demeaning crimes that have little regard for any social boundaries. The woman living in an exclusive Beverly Hills home and the woman living in a “crack” infested hovel share one dark and frightening reality — they are both potential rape victims.
