Legal Question in Criminal Law in California
I was raped a few years ago in Riverside, California. When I reported it to the police the same day, they treated me badly. They wouldn't let me have anyone in the room for support, not even a rape crisis advocate. One of the police officers intimidated me by yelling at me, accusing me of lying, and telling me he could charge me with filing a false report and I would get jail time and a fine for "wasting his time." They drove me to the hospital even though I didn't want to go and tried to intimidate me and scare me into getting a rape kit done. They yelled at me some more and continued to try and coerce me. One police officer said that if there wasn't an appropriate amount of "damage" that I would be immediately charged with filing a false report. I was too scared to get a rape kit done because I didn't know if it would be 'good enough' for the police. They also told me that I would have no choice in whether or not the person was prosecuted if they ever found him. The International Association of Chiefs of Police in their Sexual Assault Incident Reports talks about how police should treat sexual assault victims. It's a list of guidelines for how police should treat sexual assault cases. I know that how they treated me was wrong, but I'm wondering if it's illegal to treat a rape victim so badly? Are there any actual laws about how police should treat someone who is reporting a crime?
1 Answer from Attorneys
You need to post this in the civil law section if you are looking for money from a lawsuit. It is in the wrong section.
www.thesandiegoccriminallawyer.com
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