Spurred by a letter last year from appalled victims, the U.S. Justice Department has launched an inquiry into the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) Special Victims Division investigators to determine whether or not it engages in a pattern of gender-biased policing, reports the New York Times. Despite a promise for change in response to a 2019 lawsuit where a woman alleged detectives shrugged off her report of being raped by someone she’d been involved with, victims’ advocates say it hasn’t happened.
Justice Department officials said they planned a comprehensive review of policies, procedures and training for the Special Victims Division’s sex assault investigations — including how police interact with survivors and witnesses, collect evidence and complete investigations. The officials also want to see what steps the police department has taken to fix deficiencies, including the unit’s staffing and its services for sexual assault survivors. Victims described the NYPD’s work on sex crimes and other sensitive cases as “negligent and sexist.”