Mpls. Officials Announce New Sexual Assault Investigation Standards
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis officials, including the mayor and police chief, have announced new standards when dealing with sexual assault investigations.
On Wednesday, Mayor Jacob Frey says the new policy is not a cure-all, but is an essential step built on compassion, responsiveness and accountability.
"Every major institution in society has fallen short for survivors of sexual assault," Frey said. "Workplaces, religious institutions, college campuses, and, yes, local government. The predictability of these failures makes reporting sexual assault an even more daunting process."
The first part of the new policy is a more compassionate victim-centered, trauma-informed approach when investigating sexual assault cases. For example, those who report sexual assault will not be cited for underage alcohol consumption or intoxication that occurred during the attack.
"As home to one of the largest universities in the entire nation, we should make it clear that students won't be punished for a minor offense because the reported a serious one," Frey said.
Minneapolis police have also embedded a victim advocate in the sex crimes unit, who has already helped train officer on new trauma-informed interview tactics "specific to the needs of the victims." Some of those new techniques include allowing victims to share their details at their own pace, and welcoming spaces for interviews.
The second part of the policy is adopting a new series of best practices to ensure the police department is responsive to sexual assault reports.
"New protocols are in place requiring our officers to move quickly to identify and attempt to interview potential witnesses, collect evidence and to gather important information about the circumstances surrounding an assault," Frey said.
Frey says it's now department policy to keep in touch with the sexual assault victims on the progress of the case.
Thirdly, the policy will hold officers accountable.
"For example, this policy requires supervisors to review their officers' case work, including officers' decisions regarding interviewing and evidence collection," Frey said.
The Minneapolis Police Department receives over 700 reports of forceful rape per year. There are only eight investigators assigned to those cases.
"To be exceedingly clear, if we are serious about a victim-centered and trauma-informed approached, we need more police investigators to get the job done right," Frey said.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who also spoke at the press conference, thanked those who collaborated with the police department to enact the new policy. Those include the Sexual Violence Center and the Aurora Center for Advocacy & Education at the University of Minnesota.
"And certainly our survivors," Arradondo said. "I can't understate how much I have learned as chief meeting with some of our survivors personally."
Arradondo, along with Frey, called for more resources for investigators to investigate sexual assault cases.
This is a developing story, check back for more. Watch the press conference below.
