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Roughly 1,300 sexual assault calls were assigned to five
detectives between 2011 and 2013, and in 65 percent of those
cases officers filed no follow-up reports, the office of the
city's inspector-general said in a report.
"These revelations suggest an indifference to our citizens that
won't be tolerated, and they offend all of the good police
officers who work diligently to enforce the law," Inspector
General Ed Quatrevaux told a news conference.
The detectives only followed through on 179 of the remaining 450
cases with supplemental reports, according to the office, which
added that the lack of information suggested there was no real
supervision of their work within the department.
In one instance, a toddler brought to a hospital emergency room
after an alleged sexual assault was found to have a sexually
transmitted disease. But a detective closed the case, saying the
child had failed to provide information that could lead to an
investigation.
The office began its probe after a May 2014 audit of rape
reports found many cases were improperly classified. New Orleans
police cooperated in the investigation.
"As your chief of police I am deeply disturbed by these
allegations," Superintendent Michael Harrison told the news
conference. "As a police department, we will not tolerate it."
All five detectives, who were not identified, were transferred
to patrol assignments from the sexual assault unit, Harrison
said. He added that the investigation, which continues, could
lead to criminal charges against the policemen.
The department is operating under a federal consent decree
dating to 2012 that aims at changing a pattern of police
misconduct ranging from discriminatory searches to the use of
excessive force.
The previous superintendent, Ronal Serpas, announced his
retirement in August.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco)
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