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NYPD Precinct Chief In Greenpoint Under Fire For Downplaying Date Rape

David Colon

Published Jan 6, 2017

Modified Jan 6, 2017

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David Colon

Published Jan 6, 2017

Modified Jan 6, 2017

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The head of the NYPD's 94th Precinct downplayed the severity of date rape in an interview and a Community Council meeting this week, while he was discussing an uptick in sex assaults in Greenpoint.

During a conversation with DNAinfo, Captain Peter Rose, the head of the 94th Precinct, appeared to try to downplay the severity of the rise in sexual assaults and attempted sexual assaults from 8 in 2015 to 13 in 2016. While admitting the rise did take place, Rose also said that "Some of them were Tinder, some of them were hookup sites, some of them were actually coworkers. It's not a trend that we're too worried about because out of 13 [sex attacks], only two were true stranger rapes," according to the site.

Later, during a Community Council meeting on Wednesday night, Rose said that the reported assaults weren't "total abomination rapes where strangers are being dragged off the streets. If there's a true stranger rape, a random guy picks up a stranger off the street, those are the troubling ones. That person has, like, no moral standards." Rose also blamed women who stopped cooperating with investigators for the fact that arrests weren't made in 10 of the 13 rape cases.

"One of the hardest things we face is getting victims to report their attack to police so we can put more rapists in prison. Comments like this are incredibly unhelpful," said Scott Berkowitz, the president of RAINN (Rape Abuse and Incest National Network). "20 years ago it was a common attitude, but these days most of the law enforcement folks I know know that rape is rape, and they take it a lot more seriously. It's really unfortunate to have someone come out and talk like this."

Regarding Tinder and dating sites, Berkowitz pointed out that "rapists are often serial criminals, so someone who's preying on people they meet on Tinder, when they find they can get away with it that just emboldens them to commit more rapes and keep following the same pattern. So you really want the police to make it clear that they're not going to stand for that and they'll pursue people committing rape after rape."

Berkowitz agreed that it was difficult to investigate rape, like most serious crimes are, but also said that "there are lots of law enforcement agencies doing it right and putting rapists in jail."

The NYPD didn't answer a request for comment on Captain Rose's remarks, but Berkowtiz said that "if the department makes it clear that's not the way they approach this crime then one person's comment won't do a lot of damage" in terms of making women feel unsafe about reporting their rapes. "It's going to require a strong statement from NYPD leadership to make sure people see [Rose] wasn't speaking for the department."

Berkowitz said the comments were "inconsistent" with how he's seen the NYPD treat sexual violence previously. "The NYPD in a lot of ways has been one of the better departments when it comes to sexual violence. They were one of the first to have specially trained detectives. New York was one of the first cities to eliminate its backlog of untested rape kits."

Public Advocate Letitia James blasted Rose's comments in a press release, saying she was "extremely disturbed and concerned by comments suggesting that stranger rapes are 'the troubling ones.'" James also called on the NYPD to "ensure that all officers are properly trained on how to handle sex crimes and how to engage with victims."

In a statement to the Village Voice, the mayor's office issued a statement saying, "The comments by the Captain do not represent the views of the Mayor, our administration, or of an NYPD that is deeply committed to fighting for survivors of sexual assault. Rape is rape, in New York City and everywhere else. The crime merits no moral qualification and does not involve shades of criminality or degrees of danger. In New York City, rape is aggressively investigated and prosecuted blind to the nature of the underlying relationship, and with an absolute focus on obtaining justice for the survivor and safety for our neighborhoods."

This isn't the first instance of the 94th Precinct coming under fire for their attitude towards sexual assault. Last fall, the precinct was criticized for the way officers responded to a rash of rape claims by Greenpoint residents.

"What I am getting from a lot of people, and it's a lot of females, is that the 94th Precinct doesn't do anything. Now, if this is the impression they are getting, maybe that's why people aren't reporting what's happening," one Greenpoint resident said at a public meeting about assaults on women in the neighborhood.

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rape

David Colon

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