Lawmakers, Police Respond To Rape Investigation Report
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Lawmakers, and those seeking office this election year, are responding to the Star Tribune's Sunday report which found that few reported rape cases result in prosecution. And so are police.
The newspaper looked into more than 1,000 sexual assault cases over a recent two-year period and found that fewer than one in 10 of those reported cases produced a conviction.
Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, the chair of the Senate judiciary and public safety committee, called the stories in the report "horrific."
"It's indefensible that cases like these, with ample evidence, would go uninvestigated," Limmer said. "As chairman of the state senate's Public Safety committee, I can personally assure you the legislature will be digging deeper in public hearings to find out why Minnesota's law enforcement agencies have failed so many women, and what can be done to ensure justice for sexual assault victims."
Rep. Erin Murphy, the DLF-endorsed candidate for governor, issued a statement calling for a statewide response, and proposed establishing a task force to audit sex crime investigations.
""We have a systemic crisis in Minnesota that requires all of us to take action and deliver justice for survivors," Murphy said. "The women who shared their stories in the Star Tribune article and the thousands of unnamed individuals like them deserve better. Our law enforcement agencies, our justice system, and our leaders must commit to stronger investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators of these violent crimes."
The Minneapolis Police Department issued a statement:
"We thank the Star Tribune for looking into how law enforcement officers throughout the state respond to reports of sexual assault. It is an important conversation; one the MPD engages in with other law enforcement professionals, social service providers, advocacy groups, and victims on a daily basis. First and foremost, our department's ethos regarding these cases is centered on the victim, assuring them we do everything in our power to hold another person accountable, in accordance with the law, in every case we investigate. We are ever mindful that, at any point, information could be provided changing the case investigation for detectives and prosecutors. Consequently, the MPD is very deliberate in recognizing any comments made through the news media could jeopardize future convictions and potentially have the unintended consequence of re-victimizing' a victim."
Minnesota Attorney General candidate Tom Foley also announced Monday he would establish a special unit within the AG's office to assist local law enforcement officials and county attorneys to fully prosecute sexual assault cases in Minnesota communities.
"The Attorney General's office, to the greatest degree possible, must assist local law enforcement officials and county attorneys, particularly those in rural areas that may lack investigative resources, to investigate these crimes. These victims deserve full justice under Minnesota law," Foley said. "Even if only a single case failed because of the lack of sufficient prosecutorial resources, that is one case too many."
Foley said the special unit would be available to county attorneys at their discretion.
"The role of the Attorney General should be to assist, not interject, in local investigations," Foley said. "The county attorneys will know themselves if they need support."
Foley added that the AG's office, along with the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, must expand the existing support and resources available to local prosecutors and police.
"Sexual assault is a public safety threat that we must take far more seriously, both for victims and for the well-being of our communities," Foley said.