Tuesday, March 27, 2018

DOI Statement on NYPD's Response to Our Findings on NYPD's Special Victims Division - Adult Sex Crimes


The City of New York Department of Investigation 
MARK G. PETERS COMMISSIONER

  DOI’s Report on NYPD’s Special Victims Division (SVD) is evidence based. It relies on the NYPD’s own documents, which are attached to the report, as well as interviews with the most senior person in charge of SVD, Deputy Chief Michael Osgood, Commanding Officer of SVD, who has been running the unit since 2011. In addition, DOI spoke with other SVD supervisors, senior sex crimes prosecutors in all five District Attorney’s offices, numerous recent retirees of SVD and all major victim advocates in New York City. Furthermore, we shared the report with and requested comment from Commissioner O’Neill nearly two weeks ago.

 NYPD’s statement inaccurately notes two numbers: 

1: In 2017, the average caseload of an SVD investigator was 77 (not 62). The 77 number is based on NYPD’s own documentation. (Homicide detectives average two cases per year). 

2: The number of detectives assigned to actively investigate adult sex crimes is 67 (not 85) and the NYPD did not dispute that number last Friday when we discussed the report with NYPD officials. (NYPD has a total of 3,000 detectives).

  The report does not dispute the survivor-centered model or FETI. In fact, we commend these initiatives in our report. 

 DOI’s report demonstrates this: more needs to be done to properly respond to victims of adult sex crimes. The NYPD’s refusal to recognize this presents additional barriers to sex crimes victims in their pursuit of justice.

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