Collective Efforts Being Made by Local Authorities to Step Up the Help for Victims of Sexual Abuse, LIVINGSTON, June 7, 2008 - The Polk County Criminal District Attorney’s Office has joined with the Polk County Sheriff’s Department, Livingston Police Department, Onalaska Police Department, Corrigan Police Department, SAAFE House, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Adult and Juvenile Community Supervision and Memorial Medical Center of Livingston to form a SART (Sexual Assault Response Team).
A Sobering Look at Reported Cases of Sexual Abuse in Polk County (the ones that were reported)
95 instances of sexual assault/abuse were reported to law enforcement authorities in Polk County in 2007. Of these:
* Livingston Police Department received 18 complaints
* Onalaska Police Department received 4 complaints
* Polk County Sheriff’s Department received 72 complaints.
* 12 reported victims were adults; the remaining 83 were children (13 boys and 70 girls).
For Victims of Sexual Abuse, Reporting the Incident is Only the Beginning of a Very Difficult and Often Embarrassing Process
Currently when a sexual assault victim reports an assault, that victim is directed to a patrol officer who takes the initial report. Next, a detective is assigned to the case and the victim again must tell his or her story to another stranger. The victim is then told that he or she must travel a minimum 100 miles round trip in order to secure a sexual assault exam. These exams are conducted by SANE’s (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners). The SANE exam is a crucial evidence gathering step in the prosecutorial effort to obtain a just result in every sexual abuse case. Such exams are invasive and long. The victim must endure questioning once again and re-tell his or her account of the assault/abuse. The victim then typically must submit to a pelvic exam, fingernail clippings and scrapings. Their clothes are taken and bagged. Their hair is combed for any trace evidence. They are photographed, asked about their sexual history--all of which is done in the presence of medical personnel who are strangers to the victim.
As adults you can imagine that such an examination is an excruciating process. Now try to imagine that you are between the ages of 1-14, or that you are the parent of a child that is going through such an examination. One goal of the local SART/SANE effort is to make the examination process easier, more convenient, and more “victim-oriented.”
Memorial Medical Center is Committed to Helping
Memorial Medical Center of Livingston has committed to sending four registered nurses for SANE certification training. The training will be provided by the Office of the Texas Attorney General. Although the training is free for the nurses, the cost to the hospital occasioned by the loss of staffing while the prospective SANE nurses are being trained is not paid for. Nurses will have to fill in for those that are in training, and the hospital will also incur the cost of paying the nurses who are attending the training. The hospital will also have to establish a private waiting area for sexual assault victims. Special diagnostic equipment will be required for the SANE program. A Secure Digital Forensic Imaging (SDFI) will be needed to complete the exams. This machine takes the place of the colposcope which has been utilized for 83 years. The SDFI takes digital pictures of the genital area in order to record any trauma suffered by the victim. Television shows such as CSI makes potential jurors want more, they want to see visual evidence of what happened and with the SDFI that is possible. As you can imagine that is all very expensive, but also necessary.
Our goal is to streamline the process. Instead of having the victim go to multiple locations, we are going to come to the victim. This collaborative approach assures the victim and his or her family that they are not alone; and that they are connected to people who truly care about their situation. They do not become a number. They do not have to be re-victimized. The outcome that we hope for is healing for the victim and his or her family. Such crimes do not just affect the person who was assaulted. It affects their entire family. The family has jobs and their ability to cope affects their employers, co-workers and the public that they come in contact with. It also affects the schools. In that connection, we are planning on involving our school district in this plan so they can have the tools at their disposal to aid the victims. Sexual Abuse affects everyone, and if you can truly say that you do not know a person whose life has been impacted by sexual assault or abuse, then you are among a very select few. We know that we cannot eradicate sexual offenses, but the number of such cases in our county is alarming. We need to let those who would sexually victimize others know that we are going to aggressively pursue such cases. In other words, that we are not going to take it anymore.
You Can Help
We are asking for your help in achieving this goal. It requires a collaborative effort upon the part of prosecution, victims’ advocates, law enforcement and hospital personnel. It also takes the community. While we are asking for monetary donations to defray the start up costs associated with this effort, we are also asking for your input. Tell us what you think. Do you want to volunteer? People coming together and talking brings forth many ideas that have not been thought of. I have often told people that you do not see what I see and you do not hear what I hear. If that is true for me then it is true for others as well. Faith based organizations are welcome as well. Help us help the victims of sexual assault/abuse. By doing so we all help each other.
DO YOUR PART TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT. A TRAIL RIDE HAS BEEN ORGANIZED WITH CAMPING, CONCERT, FOOD, AND AUCTION TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE. COME HAVE A GOOD TIME AND SUPPORT A VERY WORTHY CAUSE!
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