Sexual Assault Unit Assessment: New York Police Department: Final report

By James Markey, Hannah Feeney, Kevin Strom, Amy Durall

Law enforcement’s response to sexual assault directly impacts the ability to deliver justice for victims through the criminal justice system and prevent future crimes. Creating a comprehensive, sustainable practice for addressing sexual assault can improve an agency’s investigative response and case outcomes, which, in turn, can benefit individual victims and their communities. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is responsible for providing public safety services for 8 million citizens across five boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island), as well as the city’s many visitors. The NYPD strives to provide a consistent process that coordinates agency-wide efforts across the boroughs and designated patrol precincts. The NYPD has numerous community and government partners including District Attorney’s offices in each borough, as well as medical providers and advocacy agencies. In 2021, the NYPD contracted with RTI International to assess its response to sexual assault. Through this project, RTI finalized plans to provide NYPD with an independent and comprehensive review of the agency’s response and investigation of adult sexual assault cases. All assessment activities took place between April 2021 and September 2021. This report details the observations, findings, and recommendations identified by the RTI International Assessment Team. The RTI International Assessment Team (hereinafter referred to as the Assessment Team) examined in detail the processes and procedures in place for investigating and prosecuting adult sexual assault cases by NYPD, including the use of victim-centered and trauma-informed practices. As part of the assessment, the team conducted a thorough examination of the sexual assault investigative process, both within and outside the law enforcement domain. This assessment included: 1) review of policies pertaining to sexual assault response and investigation, in-service training, and academy training curriculum; 2) investigative case file analysis; and 3) personnel and stakeholder interviews. These methods were used to develop findings and recommendations, with the intention of promoting organizational transformation to better serve adult victims of sexual assault .

Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International, 2021. 785p