Justice Department Announces Investigation Of New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Division

Excerpt:  “The Justice Department announced today that it has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into the Special Victims Division (SVD) of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The investigation will assess whether the SVD engages in a pattern or practice of gender-biased policing. The investigation will include a comprehensive review of the policies, procedures and training for SVD investigations of sexual assault crimes, including how SVD interacts with survivors and witnesses, collects evidence and completes investigations; any steps NYPD has taken to address deficiencies in its handling of sexual assault crimes; how SVD allocates staffing and other resources; and the services and support offered to survivors of sexual assault. … The department received information alleging deficiencies at SVD that have persisted for more than a decade, depriving survivors and the public of the prompt, thorough and effective investigations needed to protect public safety. These deficiencies allegedly include failing to conduct basic investigative steps and instead shaming and abusing survivors and re-traumatizing them during investigations.”

News Release