Officials share specialized training in sexual assault investigations

A specially trained unit of Scotland Yard in London, uses a team approach to bring forensic science and law enforcement together to conduct sexual assault investigations and to provide victims with support.

There were 3,500 sexual assaults last year in London, Susan Medley, a sexual offenses forensic consultant with the city's Metropolitan Police Service, said Wednesday during a tour of the Child Protection Center. Each officer in the unit worked about 22-30 cases in 2009.

Medley and Detective Constable Vanessa Lawson shared their skills and experiences this week during a conference with local educators, law enforcement and hospital staff.

Associate Professor of forensic science and math Amy Rehnstrom of  Kirkwood Community College learned about the specialized unit called “Sapphire” and worked with other departments at Kirkwood to bring the two women to Cedar Rapids to conduct the conference focusing forensics and the current trends in sexual assault investigations.

About 50 to 60 attended the conference Monday and Tuesday at Kirkwood. The London officers stayed on a few days to visit and tour the Cedar Rapids Police Department, St. Luke's Hospital emergency center and the Child Protection Center.

Medley said the biggest differences in the “Met's” approach and the Cedar Rapids police regarding sexual assault investigations is the use of forensics and the specialized training for officers in sexual assault and forensics.

“We have specialist officers called “chaperons” who are assigned to a victim and stays with them from the physical examination, interview and into court, if it goes that far,” Medley said.

“There are other officers who work with the perpetrators,” Lawson said. “A chaperon would never work with or interview the perpetrator. The chaperon maintains that connection with the victim.”

Sapphire also has “Havens,” sexual assault referral centers, set up throughout the city to ensure the victims receive the help they need, Medley said. It's a partnership between police and Department of Health. The havens combine initial case management by skilled officers with victim care from the health service.

They are similar to the Child Protection Center but these centers provide services for adult victims, as well as children.

Medley said Sapphire places more emphasis on forensics – like photos, fingerprints and DNA  – because many times there are no physical injuries.

“Many times, they will say it was consensual (sex), which if the victim says it wasn't we try to refute (claim of ) consent,” Medley said.  “We'll look for any crime scene damage, clothing damage and injuries on the body (other than usual sex assault injuries).”

Medley said there was one case where a girl was raped by her step-father in a bunk bed and using forensics they found fingerprints on the bed that would indicate he climbed up and raped her.

Lawson said the unit also take more swab samples for a sexual assault kit than Cedar Rapids and others might take.

“We had some really amazing results from swabs,” Medley said. “There was one victim who had semen on the top of her ear – an usual place to have it.”

Medley said it's a good idea to take those extra samples because the victim doesn't always remember what happens. They are upset and scared and may forget they scratched the suspect or that there could be skin underneath their nails.

Medley said the only obstacle with forensics is the testing and how costly it can be to process the samples. The officers have to decide what to process but there are forensic managers to help make those decisions.

Lawson and Medley said something they and the professionals in Cedar Rapids dealing with sexual assaults share is the  “passion to get it right.” They may do these differently but everybody does their job well and they care.