Investigating Sexual Assaults Sexual Assaults Incident Reports Jurisdictions have different approaches when it comes to the reporting and documentation of sexual assaults which has resulted in an inefficient system for dealing with these cases. This week’s reading identifies practices and procedures that can help in streamlining the process for law enforcement officials.
Coding
Each case that is reported should be documented in writing and provided with a case number regardless of the amount of information that is given to law enforcement. No cases should be dismissed without proper evidence collection and investigation.
Report Writing When doing a report try to get necessary details that will help in the identification and apprehension of the suspect. Do not make judgement decisions about the victim based on the information that they have provided. Specific language and observed behavior of the suspect by the victim should also be documented.
Victim Interview Health and safety issues posed by the victim should be immediately addressed. Explain the investigative process to the victim, this will help in building trust. Provide support services to the victim during the process if they need it. Every victim will react differently to trauma, initial interviews may present only a small amount of the information that the victim chooses to discuss. Schedule follow-up interviews with the victim, this will give them time to recall more information.
Suspect interrogation Many sexual assault suspects are familiar with their victims. When interviewing focus on the suspect and allow them to provide information willingly as it relates to the investigation. When collecting evidence ensure that all the necessary policies and procedures are followed to ensure admissibility.
Investigation
Building trust with the victim id beneficial in gathering all the necessary information that is related to the investigation. Suspect’s behavior prior to the attack should be documented, this will help to identify various elements why the suspect made the decision to do what he/she did. All statements must be collected and thoroughly reviewed. Identify other crimes that may have been a pretext for the assault.
Electronics
As we become more modernize we depend more on electronic items to assist us with our daily task. These modern electronic devices are capable of storing information that can have potential evidentiary value for law enforcement investigations. However before this evidence can be used it must be properly collected by personnel that are trained to do so. This week’s reading covered many of these devices and their potential for storing information. It also provided an idea of the types of information that may be stored on these various devices.

This dependency has created the need for our devices to be more capable of storing large amounts of information that we readily use. Law enforcement has recognize this dependency and the need to collect and record electronic information that could be relevant to an investigation. With this in mind, we must