NASHVILLE — The recent approval by the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission of a model law enforcement policy on sexually oriented crimes is a good thing, according to Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville).
He said the policy will combat sex crimes and help survivors get justice.
The new law calls for the state to develop and approve a model policy for law enforcement agencies for responding to reports of sexual assault by Jan. 1, 2016, and requires law enforcement agencies to adopt a written policy by July on responding to reports of sexual assaults.
The General Assembly approved legislation sponsored by Norris last year to require all local law enforcement agencies to inventory backlogged sexual assault kits.
The POST Commission, which is the primary regulatory body for law enforcement agencies statewide, approved the policy during its November meeting.
Mark Norris
Norris called the policy’s adoption a major step forward. “This will help ensure that the best methodology and standards are utilized by law enforcement across the state when collecting evidence and investigating this deplorable crime. It will also encourage more survivors to come forward and report the crime in the renewed hope that the perpetrator will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
POST Commission Executive Secretary Brian Grisham said, “Having a statewide policy will provide greater efficiency and consistent oversight for the investigations of sexual assaults in our state. All state and local law enforcement agencies that are likely to encounter reports of sexually oriented crimes, including campus police forces, are required to establish these standards.”
The policy was developed by the Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council (DVSCC) in accordance with the State of Tennessee Public Chapter No. 253 Section 2. A survey of the amount of untested rape kits in Tennessee revealed the need to clarify proper procedure regarding sexual assault investigation and evidence collection.
Under the policy, all of the state’s law enforcement agencies must use a specific protocol when conducting preliminary and continued investigations of rape or other sexually oriented crime.
Agencies have until July 1, 2016, to either adopt the protocol as written or to create/adjust their own policy to meet the minimum standards outlined in the model policy.
Memphis, which in 2012 had an initial backlog of 12,000 kits dating back to the 1970s, recently opened a new climate-controlled storage facility to carefully store and process the kits until justice can be served. More than half of those kits have been processed or are currently in labs for that purpose.
Norris, who spoke to a national Sexual Assault Kit Summit this fall in Memphis, commented, “We have come a long way in working through the initial rape kit problem and have become a model that other states with similar issues are looking at. Many localities across the country are struggling with the similar problems.”
Kathy Walsh, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence and Secretary of the DVSCC, said, “Tennessee is a leader in establishing a statewide policy for investigating sexually oriented crimes. This model policy also includes guidelines for officers on providing victim assistance and properly managing evidence. These improvements should increase victim reporting and ultimately lead to more sexual predators being caught.”
Norris also said, “DNA evidence has revolutionized the way we apprehend and prosecute sexual offenses. I am very pleased at the way in which we came together to address this problem with the survivors as our focal point. We must continue working until every one of these kits are processed and exercise every resource available to bring justice and timely prosecution in the future.”
Tennessee law enforcement agencies have until July 1, 2016, to either adopt the model policy as written, or create/adjust their own policy to meet the minimum standards outlined in the model policy.
