What do you think of this

[explcdt8]

According to this article, the NYPD wants detectives to handle the initial response to sex crimes

SVU investigators to be first on sex-crime scenes, NYPD says

Now, I know the article is not too well written, there is a difference between "intial response" and "initial interview", but what do you think?

Personally, if the policy means that detectives will do the interview of the victim, I think that is fine.

If, however, it means that patrol officers are now "forbidden" from responding to a certain category of call, I have problems with that. First, I think it would overburden detectives who now have to handle intial reports and work follow-ups. Secondly, I think it is a start of a slippery slope to overspecialization and reduced patrol function.

[retdetsgt]

Detectives here used to do all interviews of sex crime victims. Patrol officers talked to them about the crime only enough to establish that what occurred and to get an initial suspect description.

But that was when we had detectives working 24/7. Budget cuts have eliminated that and uniform do all the initial interview now (with the exception of children).

[explcdt8]

Were you able to figure out what the article was actually saying?

I think it was talking about the "initial interview" in the way you are using it, but that one sentence at the beginning of the article suggests otherwise.

[retdetsgt]

Were you able to figure out what the article was actually saying?

I think it was talking about the "initial interview" in the way you are using it, but that one sentence at the beginning of the article suggests otherwise.

Yeah, that sounds kind of dumb unless there are lots of SVU available 24-7. It would be tragic IMO to make a rape victim wait unnecessarily to talk to a police officer.

[oscarmitre]

Practice in South Australia has for many years been that a patrol, preferably a patrol with a female officer if the victim is female (solo patrols here are not the norm), will attend and make an initial assessment. Even if a female officer is on the call the victim will not be interviewed at length at all and only the details required to make an assessment will be taken. Assuming the victim is female she will then be contacted by a specialist investigator who will take her for medical examination and lengthy and detailed interview. Detectives will not interview the victim but will work from the information gained from the specialist investigator.

Fair point about the over-specialisation but sometimes it's justified and I think in this case it definitely is. I know one problem incident isn't enough to draw a general conclusion but I have found that the quicker the specialist investigator gets to the victim and the detectives to the crime scene the better it is as the general duties officers are usually at a loss to know what to do. That's not their fault, it's probably a system issue. Some years ago a woman was raped in her home in her own bed here and police arrived and did the usual follow-up. Crime scene wasn't available until morning (it was late at night when the offence occurred) so a GD patrol was posted to protect the crime scene (ie her house). Only problem was one of the officers got sleepy and thought he'd take a nap - not a good idea at any time but an even worse idea was to hop into her bed to take the nap.