Washington Post Investigation on School Officers

The story is called Abused by the Badge; I hope this gift link works because it's important reading. As well, in the context of bringing back SPD or SROs back to Seattle Schools, something to consider. 

I want to say from the start that the majority of police officers in this country put their lives on the line every single day. It's an extremely tough job and given the guns in this country, a very scary one. But too often, when a few officers commit crimes, their union bends over backwards to save them. Unions should NOT protect their worst members. 

A Washington Post investigation has found that over the past two decades, hundreds of law enforcement officers in the United States have sexually abused children while officials at every level of the criminal justice system have failed to protect kids, punish abusers and prevent additional crimes.

Police and sheriff’s departments have enabled predators by botching background checks, ignoring red flags and mishandling investigations. Accused cops have used their knowledge of the legal system to stall cases, get charges lowered or evade convictions. Prosecutors have given generous plea deals to officers who admitted to raping and groping minors. Judges have allowed many convicted officers to avoid prison time.

So reading that we should consider that there should be formal rules for having officers in SPS. For example, SPS should do their OWN background checks and not take the word of anyone in SPD. During the hiring process, it might be worth saying outloud to potential hires, "We will demand prosecution if you touch any student or staff in a sexual manner. We have zero tolerance for abuse of students and/or staff."

For example:

Background checks: Departments hired officers who had been accused — or sometimes convicted — of child abuse, domestic violence and other serious crimes.

The story:

The Post identified at least 1,800 state and local law enforcement officers who were charged with crimes involving child sexual abuse from 2005 through 2022.

The Post also conducted an exclusive analysis of the nation’s most comprehensive database of police arrests.

The Post found that 1 in 10 of those officers were charged with a crime involving child sexual abuse.

99% of arrested officers were male. 

66% of arrested officers had more than 5 years of service.

47 of those arrested were chiefs of police, sheriffs or other agency heads.

Nearly 40% of convicted officers were not sentenced to prison.

Nearly three-quarters of kids in The Post’s analysis were teenagers.  

Police and court documents show that abusive officers frequently spent months befriending and grooming kids. Many used the threat of arrest or physical harm to make their victims comply.

After cops were charged with child sex crimes, some agencies tried to distance themselves in news reports by saying the alleged misconduct happened while officers were off duty. But The Post found that in cases across the country, even if the abuse occurred while officers were off duty, they regularly met their victims through their work.

How officers met victims through their jobs

On patrol:

• Speeding tickets
• Domestic violence calls
• Rape investigations
• Suicide attempts
• Curfew enforcement
• Noise complaint
• Finding runaways
• Making arrests
• Witnesses to crimes

Youth-focused assignments:

• School resource officers
• Boy Scouts’ Police Explorers
• Youth cadets
• Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)
• Ride-alongs
• Police Athletic League
• Crosswalk duty

Community outreach:

• Fundraiser
• Community center
• Restaurants
• Neighborhood walk
• A skating rink
• A haunted house

 Here are some issues with these bad cops:

Texting and social media: Unlike many schools, law enforcement agencies typically do not have specific policies governing how officers can interact with kids. This means officers can text, call and message on social media with children they have met on the job without breaking any rules.

Working alone: In departments of all sizes, officers routinely work alone. Abusive cops often took advantage of the lack of supervision to violate children while on duty.

Grooming while on duty: Despite GPS and body cameras, patterns of abusive officers — repeatedly returning to a child’s home, giving children rides or bringing kids to police stations — sometimes went undetected for weeks, months or even years.

Maybe district should required a log of the activities of the officers while at school. 

What some victims say:

“He didn’t do anything to the strong-minded girls, only the ones that were already a little messed up so he could take them in as his ‘daughters’...which, if I might add, is even more disgusting - and break them.”

Girl abused in Minnesota

 

“I never did anything about the physical abuse because I loved him. He had total control over me. Anything he wanted, I did.”

Girl abused in Louisiana

 

“If I tried to tell him I didn’t want to see him anymore, he would threaten me by saying, ‘Don’t let me catch you driving ... because I will stop you and give you a ticket.’”

Girl abused in California