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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 1 July 2022
Justice Department to investigate NYPD sex crimes unit

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, LARRY tions of recent history — for
NEUMEISTER and JENNIFER example, that of Harvey
PELTZ Weinstein — were driven by
Associated Press the tenacity of dedicated
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. NYPD investigators."
Justice Department has After the 2019 lawsuit, the
launched a sweeping in- unit got a new leader, Ju-
quiry into the New York Po- dith Harrison, and shifted to
lice Department's famed what she called a "victim-
sex crimes investigators fol- centered" approach — but
lowing years of complaints she soon moved to a differ-
about the way they treat ent position.
crime victims. Successor Michael King,
The civil rights investiga- appointed in 2020, was a
tion, announced Thursday, veteran investigator and
will examine whether the forensic nurse. King was
NYPD's Special Victims Divi- removed from the job in
sion engages in a pattern February, amid complaints
of gender-biased policing, about his leadership and
officials said. continued mishandling of
"Survivors of sexual assault cases.
should expect effective, Last October, a woman
trauma-informed and vic- who identified herself as
tim-centered investigations a rape victim told a City
by police departments," Council hearing that de-
said Kristen Clarke, assistant tectives failed to interview
attorney general for the witnesses, collect security
Justice Department's Civil camera footage from the
Rights Division. New York bar where she'd been be-
City's two U.S. attorneys fore the attack, or test for
joined her in announcing date-rape drugs. She said
the inquiry. they closed the case twice
The police unit inspired TV's Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke speaks at a news conference at the De- without telling her.
"Law & Order: SVU," and partment of Justice in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. In another case, detailed
the real-life version has Associated Press in a 2020 article in The New
tackled such major cases York Times, a New York Uni-
as the prosecution of for- "We hope the Justice De- to make sure the unit was the unit's staffing and its versity student said a sex
mer movie mogul Harvey partment's investigation "professional." services for sexual assault crimes detective openly
Weinstein. But the division and our lawsuit will finally "We were not sitting on our survivors. doubted her allegation
also has faced a decade result in real change for vic- hands," the Democrat said. The Weinstein case spot- that a stranger had raped
of complaints about thin tims and survivors of sexual Breon Peace, the U.S. at- lighted the sex crimes divi- her in her apartment. The
staffing and superficial in- assault in New York City," torney in Brooklyn, said the sion, which helped build investigator talked her out
vestigations. said the women's lawyer, NYPD has already taken a prosecution that ended of moving forward and shut
In a 2019 lawsuit, a wom- Mariann Wang. steps to address concerns, with a watershed convic- down the case, she said.
an alleged detectives The NYPD said it welcomes but authorities want to en- tion for the #MeToo move- The suspected rapist, identi-
shrugged off her report of the review and is commit- sure victims are treated ment. But along the way, fied through fingerprints on
being raped by someone ted to improving its investi- fairly in the future. prosecutors dropped one a condom wrapper found
she'd been involved with, gations. Justice Department offi- of the charges in 2018, af- at the apartment, was later
logging it as a "dispute" in- Police Commissioner cials said they planned a ter evidence surfaced that jailed on burglary charg-
stead of a sex crime. An- Keechant Sewell said she comprehensive review of a detective had coached es — but ended up being
other woman said in the believed any "constructive" policies, procedures and a witness and told an ac- released and assaulting
suit that her account of be- review would "show that training for the Special Vic- cuser to delete material three more women be-
ing kidnapped and gang- the NYPD has been evolv- tims Division's sex assault from her cellphone. cause the Special Victims
raped was grossly mishan- ing and improving in this investigations — including A lawyer for the woman Division never told prosecu-
dled for months before she area, but we will be trans- how police interact with whose allegation was tors he was a rape suspect,
was told the case was "too parent and open to criti- survivors and witnesses, col- dropped from the case the Times reported.
complex" to investigate. cism as well as ideas." lect evidence and com- has faulted prosecutors The unit has also been un-
After the lawsuit and a Mayor Eric Adams, a re- plete investigations. for what happened. She der scrutiny, including from
leadership shakeup, the tired police captain who The officials also want to said Thursday that she wel- the NYPD's internal affairs
NYPD promised change. took office in January and see what steps the police comed shining light on po- bureau, for allegedly mis-
But victims' advocates say appointed Sewell, said she department has taken to lice practices, offering a handling rape kits and
it hasn't happened. immediately took steps fix deficiencies, including mixed view of the police for investigators allegedly
shortchanging the depart-
sex crimes unit.
LIKE US ON "Our experience is that ment on hours worked.
many viable sexual assault Damian Williams, the U.S.
cases are tossed out by po- attorney in Manhattan,
lice at the earliest stages said sex crimes victims "de-
of investigation," said the serve the same rigorous
attorney, Carrie Goldberg. and unbiased investiga-
"On the other hand, some tions of their cases that the
Facebook.com/arubatoday/ of the most consequential NYPD affords to other cat-
prosecu-
sexual
assault
egories of crime."q