Our Nation is Descending Into a New Level of Depravity
Rape cases are not being investigated
The war on police has been escalating since about 2015. Even at that time, Madison police officers would confide in me that departmental morale had hit a new rock bottom - despite working under retired Police Chief Mike Koval, the type of leader who would never compromise his principles and who cops knew they could always count on.
Their statements were backed up by plummeting recruitment numbers.
2012: MPD received more than 1,508 applicants.
2014: About 1,000 applicants
2017: 574 applicants
2021: 288 applicants
Given this trajectory, a question began to gnaw at me (and still does).
Since our police department is understaffed and the crime index has risen, would someone be available in time if someone I loved, my neighbors, or I was in crisis?
When it comes to high-stakes situations, after all, seconds count. It’s a point I harped on while lobbying our former city council for additional police funding. Though the Council eventually approved funding, police staffing levels continued to suffer.
Inevitably and understandably, calls that are typically considered non-emergency for a police department (non- fatal car accidents, noise complaints, stolen license plates, and such) were deprioritized. This scenario is not uncommon in cities across the United States, especially those with an anti-police sentiment.
That was then. The stakes have since risen.
Take Seattle, Washington, where nearly 60 police officers were injured during the 2020 riots, demonstrators set up a no-police zone, and some attempted arson of a police precinct.
Earlier this year, the Seattle Police Department issued a memo that due to a critical staffing shortage, they would stop investigating new cases of sexual assaults.
As The Seattle Times wrote,
“In the memo, {Sgt. Pamela} St. John went on to say that she was not ‘able to assign adult sexual assault cases’ that came into her unit. Cases involving children and adult cases that had a suspect in custody — a fraction of adult sexual assaults reported to police — were being prioritized. The unit just had too few detectives.”
Like Seattle, Madison, and my original hometown of Chicago, New York City has also experienced a demonstrably significant anti-police sentiment and an accompanying exodus of police officers.
The result? About 60% of rapes were unsolved by NYPD in 2020, which Gothamist says is “the highest rate of unclosed rape cases since the department began publicly releasing that data in 2018. The decline in arrests took place even as the number of reported rapes dropped from 1,794 in 2018 to 1,427 in 2020.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the first you’re hearing about any of this. The media has been relatively mum, as have politicians, and most women's rights groups (a women’s organization I belong to is an exception).
So much for advocating for women.
It’s not just the defunding & demoralization of cops that put women (and men) at increased risk. The decriminalization of crime -whether via bail reform laws, funding the campaigns of activist prosecutors and judges, and replacing real justice for victims with restorative justice- is also threatening our system. In the process, women are being degraded.
As explained in UnHerd,
“Restorative justice (RJ) is described as an alternative to prison; it is a non-punitive response to criminal behaviour. The idea is to bring together the person who inflicted the harm (the “responsible person”, in RJ terminology) and the victim, often in the presence of community representatives. The perpetrator is supposed to accept responsibility for the harm inflicted and reach an agreement with the victim about how to make amends.
And,
“According to the ideals of RJ, after a crime is committed the offender and the victim should meet face-to-face. The victim is not to blame or judge the perpetrator, but rather describe the impact of the offence, in order to “heal” and become “empowered”. RJ sees victim and perpetrator as equal, both in need of support and understanding. Supposedly modelled on the conflict resolution practices of certain indigenous cultures, there is much talk of circles. Healing circles are held for the perpetrator, before a sentencing circle takes place; later, there are follow up circles. The outcomes may include an apology or financial compensation. Some participants, including the victim, sign a confidentiality agreement.”
For many women, including this one, the uptick in violence and simultaneous decriminalization of crime & war on cops is our defining issue.
When police departments are unable to maintain adequate staffing levels to investigate rapes or keep the citizenry safe; when district attorneys and judges allow repeat offenders to prey on innocent citizens; when those in leadership roles are too weak to stand up and do what’s right; and when predators are treated with more empathy than rape victims, the system has failed us women.
As someone who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and experienced her prime in the 1980s, the general consensus (including within both major political groups) was that rapists and other predators belong behind bars. It’s now 2022, and on the surface, politicians and corporations claim to celebrate women. Yet the policies that have taken hold across our country have put us at a real disadvantage.
We’ve arrived at a point I don't think many people think we'd ever arrive at.
For the Blue is a solutions-based initiative. I’m just an American patriot asking questions. I don’t work with any political party and I answer to nobody. For me, the health of the nation, due process (including for police officers), the rule of law, and respect for individual liberties, will always transcend party affiliation. I welcome your thoughts, even if you disagree; though personal attacks will be ignored. You can reach me at fortheblue@substack.com.