CPD is Failing Survivors—Here’s What We Should Do
October 8, 2020
10 to 20 percent: that is the portion of sex offense reports in Chicago that led to an arrest over the past decade. That finding is part of CAASE’s newest report which analyzes the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) response to sexual harm. Our city’s police are failing survivors—and our community fails survivors by solely investing their faith and finances in police action.
“Both law enforcement and the public claim that solving sex crimes is a top priority for police, yet there is a massive gulf between rhetoric and reality,” said Kaethe Morris Hoffer, executive director of CAASE. “Few survivors of sexual harm report to police and those that do face grossly inadequate responses.”
Another example of CPD’s ineffectiveness lies in its lack of urgency. In incidents that led to an arrest, survivors waited an average of 13 to 72 days for their assailant to be detained. In comparison, victims of other violent crimes waited 3 to 33 days. And, while the number of reported rapes has continually risen in recent years, arrests have remained flat.
In light of these dreary statistics, funds must be moved from the police budget to holistic approaches and solutions to sexual harm. As the report states: We must rise to the moment by acknowledging that sexual violence is a crisis in Chicago, and we must account for how survivors have been failed by our current leaders, system, and practices. Then, we must commit to providing the best options for survivors of sexual harm, while working to prevent it. That has to include ensuring they can pursue healing and restoration in more ways than one.
We must commit to providing the best options for survivors of sexual harm, while working to prevent it. That has to include ensuring they can pursue healing and restoration in more ways than one.
Too Little, Too Late? The CPD’s Response to Sex Crimes
If our community focuses exclusively on the criminal system, we ignore the fact that most survivors seek support elsewhere. Police intervention must improve—but it cannot be our only response. It’s time to shift funds and explore alternatives to criminal justice. This includes restorative and transformative justice programs, rape crisis centers, community-based mental health services, no-contact orders in the civil legal system, free legal services, accommodations from schools or workplaces, and more.
With these conclusions in mind, CAASE supports an initiative led by The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence calling for Chicago to shift $35 million of CPD funding to gender-based violence prevention. In their own 2020 study, they state that the reallocation “…will improve the health and safety of [Chicago’s] residents, enable the police department to respond strategically and effectively to criminal activity, and equip providers to meet the ever-increasing need for services in this area.”
Based on our experiences with survivors and our recent findings, CAASE hopes Chicago will invest in practices that reduce violence and center survivors instead of illusionary safety.
To read the report in full, explore CPD’s history of responding to sexual harm, and learn more about our data-collection methods, please visit our webpage: Too Little, Too Late? The CPD’s Response to Sex Crimes.
Are You a Survivor in Chicago?
CAASE will continue analyzing our city’s criminal justice response to sex crimes. In an upcoming report, we will specifically highlight the voices and stories of Black survivors— who are disproportionately impacted by sexual harm—and their lived experiences with Chicago’s criminal legal system. If you would like to add your voice to this report, please email our Community Engagement Manager, Anika Sterling Florez, at asflorez@caase.org or call (773) 244-2230, ext. 201
Legal Support
If you are a survivor who’s had issues dealing with CPD in relation to a reported sexual offense and are interested in a free legal consultation, please email legal@caase.org or call us at 773-244-2230 x 204.
This piece was primarily authored by KT Hawbaker with assistance from Hayley Forrestal.
