By DYLAN GOFORTH
Three times this
summer, Oklahoma law enforcement officers were arrested on an allegation of
committing a sexual assault while on duty.
And in all three
cases, the initial report that brought the allegations to light was quickly
followed by the revelation that more victims may yet be discovered.
Rape remains
commonly known as an under-reported crime, experts say. But work is being done
to combat that.
Rape victims are
historically less likely to report what happened to them than are victims of
other crimes, DVIS/Call Rape Sexual Assault Program Coordinator Elaine Thompson
said.
The reasons for
this are many, she said. They may feel that no one will believe them, or they
may feel that what happened is, in part, their fault. They may feel they’d
rather live with and bury the burden of what happened to them, rather than have
their friends and family members know.
Thompson said that
while the reasons for not reporting the crime are many, the benefits of doing
so are just as plentiful.
“There’s power in
filing that report or in talking to someone about what happened,” Thompson
said. “It’s very empowering for them to come forward and discover that they
aren’t alone.”
And it might keep
other women from suffering the same fate, counselor Tiffany Shoemaker said.
Choosing the
victims
Three law
enforcement officers — Oklahoma City Police Officer Daniel Holtzclaw, Oklahoma
Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Roberts and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy
Gerald Nuckolls — were arrested this summer and accused in separate cases of
possible serial sexual assault behavior. They were identified when one of the
alleged victims came forward to authorities.
In all three
cases, authorities were only able to determine that multiple victims may be out
there after the initial report was made.
The victims in all
three cases may have been chosen because of their backgrounds. Holtzclaw,
prosecutors have said, seems to have targeted older black women, many of whom
had a past with drugs and/or prostitution.
One woman whom
Roberts is accused of raping had outstanding warrants for her arrest, and he
reportedly asked another woman “what she would do” for the amount of money her
potential traffic violation would cost.
Nuckolls is
accused of coercing a woman to touch his penis by saying it would help keep her
boyfriend out of jail.
“There’s an
element of ‘This person won’t report this’ to a lot of rape cases,” Thompson
said. “It’s not unusual to have a perpetrator target a group or an individual
that they think won’t be willing to report the rape in the first place.”
Fear of making a
report
Undersheriff Tim
Albin said Wednesday at a news conference detailing Nuckolls’ arrest that he
understands the fear women have of reporting sexual assault, especially when
the alleged perpetrator is a law enforcement officer.
Nuckolls,
according to his arrest report, told investigators with the Sheriff’s Office
that he had sexual activity with “about six women” whom he had either pulled
over or spoken to while responding to 911 calls.
Albin said at the
press conference that the Sheriff’s Office’s first priority was the victims,
and he urged them to report what had happened to them, either to the
authorities or to a victim advocacy group such as DVIS/Call Rape.
On Friday, Maj.
Shannon Clark with the Sheriff’s Office said no other victims had come forward
since the two women made allegations against Nuckolls on Tuesday.
In Roberts’ case,
a 28-year-old woman made the first allegation against him July 23. A federal
lawsuit naming Roberts as the perpetrator was filed in August; shortly after,
another woman came forward to say she had been assaulted by the trooper July 8.
When Roberts was
arrested Sept. 15, an affidavit states, another woman had come forward with a
similar story, saying Roberts pulled her over June 15.
Holtzclaw, 27, was
placed on suspension June 18, when an Oklahoma City woman reported that he had
sexually assaulted her.
He was arrested
Aug. 21 after an investigation uncovered a number of women who say they were
assaulted by him.
According to the
accusations, each case progressed in a relatively similar fashion — officers
seemingly emboldened by their alleged victims’ inaction continued unchecked
until someone came forward.
“Sometimes people
don’t realize how much power there is in making your voice heard,” Thompson
said. “It starts the healing process, but it can also stop something like this
from going on. It might only take one person to uncover something.”
Through Sept. 1 of
this year, the Tulsa Police Department has received 220 rape reports, Sex
Crimes Sgt. Mark Mears said. In the same time period a year ago, the department
had received 242 reports.
For years, reports
of rape in the city held steady — from a 2008 low of 252 to a high of 266 in
2011. Part of the rise in reports, Mears said, is due to the way the FBI tracks
rape. Prior to 2012, rape had a narrower definition: same-sex attacks didn’t
count, nor did spousal attacks. Anal and oral attacks were not considered rape,
either.
Changing the
definition “changed how many reports we got, to an extent,” Mears said. “We’re
hoping it also rose because women are reporting more.
“Rape is so
under-reported; that’s something we know is a fact.”
‘Unlike any other
crime’
Places like
DVIS/Call Rape work around the clock to change the stigma associated with
sexual assault, Thompson said.
“Rape is unlike
any other crime,” she said. “It’s so personal. Something is taken from you that
can’t be replaced.”
Agencies like DVIS
are required to report the rape of a minor to authorities, but Thompson said
adults can seek help without having to report their attacks.
“When you tell
someone you’ve been raped, there’s a level of revictimization that takes place,
where you’re forced to go back through what happened to you. We try to have a
safe, secure place where (victims are) loved and not judged,” she said.
“We can discuss
their options with them. They may want to make a report after they feel more
comfortable,” she said.
“One thing we also
do is help with medical examinations, which, even if you don’t end up wanting
to make a police report, you should get checked out medically, regardless.
“Just speaking to
someone about what happened can start the healing process. It can be a very
powerful thing,” Thompson said.
