Reporting to Law Enforcement (cont)

In response to VAWA 2005, many jurisdictions have implemented alternatives to standard reporting procedures.1

Many communities have implemented alternatives to traditional reporting procedures, such as anonymous or blind reporting. These procedures are used when victims do not want to immediately report or are undecided about reporting with their own name and contact information (but are willing to report anonymously).2 Government entities that mandate reporting for sexual assaults, in particular, have implemented an option of third-party anonymous reporting for mandated reports, which allow a third-party, such as the medical personnel, to make the report without including identifying information about the victim.3 Although the practice of anonymous reporting is not widespread it allows victims and/or third-party reporters to share critical information about the assault with law enforcement without sacrificing privacy. It also enables investigators to gain information about sex crimes that would otherwise go unreported.

To develop an anonymous/blind reporting system, law enforcement agencies can:

  • Establish and uphold a policy of victim confidentiality.

  • Allow victims to disclose as little or as much information as they wish.

  • Accept the information whenever victims might offer it—a delay in disclosure is not an indicator of the validity of the statement.

  • Develop procedures and forms to facilitate anonymous information from third parties (e.g.,examiners).

  • Clarify options with victims for future contact—where, how, and under what circumstances they may be contacted by the law enforcement agency or by another agency.

  • Maintain these reports in separate files from official complaints to avoid inappropriate use.Establish and uphold a policy of victim confidentiality.

  • Allow victims to disclose as little or as much information as they wish.

  • Accept the information whenever victims might offer it—a delay in disclosure is not an indicator of the validity of the statement.

  • Develop procedures and forms to facilitate anonymous information from third parties (e.g., examiners).

  • Clarify options with victims for future contact—where, how, and under what circumstances they may be contacted by the law enforcement agency or by another agency.

  • Maintain these reports in separate files from official complaints to avoid inappropriate use.

Informed consent from victims for notification should be sought during the initial report, as well as appropriate times, reasons, and methods to recontact them.4 For example, a victim may want to be contacted if another victim who was likely assaulted by the same suspect comes forward.

 Table of Contents Reporting to Law Enforcement- Victim Centered Reporting Process

 

1The first two paragraphs in this section are drawn from S. Garcia and M. Henderson, Blind Reporting of Sexual Violence, FBI Law
Enforcement Bulletin, June 1999, pp. 12–16.
2 For example, the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Police Department’s blind reporting system for sexual assault enables victims to
disclose as much or as little information as they want. A detective records the information but does not initiate an investigation unless
victims decide to file a formal complaint. The blind reporting system has been credited with contributing to a steady increase in sexual
assault reporting. The number of male victims who reported during that time also rose. (K. Littel, M. Malefyt, and A. Walker, Assessing
the Justice System Response to Violence Against Women: A Tool for Law Enforcement, Prosecution, and the Courts to Use in
Developing Effective Response, 1998, pp. 18–9.)
3 For example, all health care providers in Massachusetts who attend to, treat, or examine a sexual assault patient are required to
submit a third-party anonymous report (with no identifying information) to law enforcement in the community where the assault occurred
as well as to the state police. This report is required even if patients report the assault themselves. (Commonwealth of Massachusetts
SANE Protocol, 2002, pp. 8–9.)
4 All those involved in immediate response, including victims, need to understand the nature of DNA evidence and how CODIS can be
used to match offenders with DNA in the database. They also need to know the status of CODIS in their jurisdiction (states have varying
laws regarding which crimes qualify for inclusion in the database).