POLICE INVESTIGATION OF RAPE: ROADBLOCKS AND SOLUTIONS

The goal of the original fellowship proposal was to identify factors that first responder police and more advanced investigators perceive as helpful to successfully completing rape investigations as well as factors that they see as hindering rape investigations. The present study will conduct a much stronger examination of the impact of rape myths in determining an officer's decision in pursuing an investigation. The additional year will also enable the PI to pursue the original questions in greater depth with more respondents. There are both quantitative and qualitative components to this research. The quantitative side involves an anonymous survey that will be given to first response officers in Virginia, Ohio and Maryland. A shorter version of the survey will be given to higher ranking sexual assault investigators. The qualitative side will involve in-depth interviews with the same detectives and other rape investigators. The instrument will be developed in collaboration with various police agencies and police researchers.