new inspection from washington post Approximately 1,800 police officers have been charged with offenses related to child sexual abuse over the past 20 years. Worse, nearly 40% of those convicted avoided imprisonment.
The investigation found an alarming lack of accountability for police officers who sexually abused minors. Not only have convicted officers often received minor sentences, but police departments have sometimes rehired officers convicted of child sexual abuse.
that much post's analysis examined thousands of court filings and the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database, the county's most comprehensive database of police arrests. The authors found that between 2005 and 2022, approximately 17,700 police officers were charged with crimes, one in 10 of them for crimes related to the sexual abuse of minors.
Crime officers were charged with a variety of charges, but most of the charges were for a few specific crimes. According to postAccording to the analysis, 39% of police officers charged with child sexual abuse offenses were also charged with rape. 20% were charged with offenses related to child sexual abuse material (another term for child pornography), and 19% were charged with forcible fondling.
Of the officers indicted, 83% were convicted. However, only 61% of the officers found guilty received prison time. 15% received local prison sentences, and a surprising 24% received lighter sentences such as probation, fines, and community service.
However, those who were imprisoned also received relatively light sentences. Half were sentenced to imprisonment for five years or less.
Why did so many police officers seem to get away with heinous sexual crimes? According to postIt all depends on how prosecutors and judges treat police officers.
“Prosecutors have broad discretion in the types of charges, plea bargains, and cases to bring to trial.” postThe analysis is as follows: “Judges play an important role in determining what punishment an officer should receive at trial.”
The police station also has a lot of responsibility.
“The department employed officers who had been accused of, and sometimes convicted of, child abuse, domestic violence and other serious crimes,” it reads. postinvestigation. “In some cases, police officers who were fired for their actions have been found guilty of child abuse after appealing their firing through police union protections and getting their jobs back.”
The analysis shows how common police sexual abuse is and how many barriers have been erected to prevent convicted officers from receiving appropriate punishment for their crimes.
“Things like this happen in communities all over the country, but they don't get people's attention,” said Philip Stinson, a former police officer and professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University. post. “But the police chief adheres to the bad apple theory, which says, ‘There’s nothing to see here. If we fire the apples, this problem will go away.’”