I am a retired licensed social worker in Maryland. From 1985 to 1995, I worked as a therapist for Montgomery County’s Victim Assistance and Sexual Assault Program. I provided clinical services to victims (both men and women) of childhood and adult sexual abuse and assault. During that position, I read a book that helped me better understand why so few perpetrators are charged, much less convicted, for sex crimes.
In her book Sexual Assault: A Decade on the Frontlines Prosecuting Rapists and Confronting Their Collaborators, Alice Vachs, former head of the Queens Special Victims Unit in New York City, uses the word “collaborators” to describe judges, lawyers, and juries who believe and support the rapist rather than the victim. I would add police departments and police unions to that list, too.
According to a Washington Post article about Officer Timothy Barber and Anne, prosecutors did not call any witnesses other than Anne to testify at the sentencing hearing because they “did not believe it was necessary.” They also did not ask the judge to give Officer Barber a prison sentence, despite Anne’s written request for one.
As someone who has treated victims of sexual abuse and assault for many years, the June 15th article, “A System That Neither Protects nor Punishes,” was shocking to me.
Particularly disturbing is that some police departments, desperate to fill vacancies, do not conduct background checks on new hires. As a social worker for decades, I know that plea bargains are often offered in which sexual assault and abuse cases are prosecuted as misdemeanors. However, I believe that encouraging child sexual abusers to accept plea bargains to “spare the victim testimony” is driven more by prosecutors’ heavy workload and a desire to avoid trial than by justice for the victim. Moreover, exempting officers from punishment would deny them prison time or treatment that could help them change their behavior, thereby protecting future victims of sex crimes.
I hope the sharp investigative team at The Washington Post will be nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for the fact-finding and quality writing of these articles. We must do more to protect our children from sexual predators, especially those who wear badges.
Jenny Gaucher, Kensington
After reading the Washington Post report about sexual abuse by police officers, I wanted to publicly voice my support for Ann and let her know how inspired I am by her courage in coming forward despite the challenges.
Ann, you have shown incredible courage and determination and are truly admirable. I have granddaughters and you have been more than an example to them to learn to stand up for themselves even when the odds are against them.
I have counseled women who have had similar experiences and have seen not only the abuse they suffered, but also the grief, tears, and frustration that resulted from their interactions with ignorant judges and other officials who did not hold them accountable and accountable. Whether the judge admits this or not, the judge in your case should be ashamed of the way he or she treated you.
Ann, I hope you will remember the fact that you have the strength to get through this and the courage to overcome the difficulties and come forward to testify publicly against your abuser. You have far more courage and integrity than either your abuser or the judge. Thank you, Ann, for sharing your story.
The Washington Post investigation, “Abuse Under the Police Badge,” presents startling documentation of child sexual abuse by police that is shocking even to those of us familiar with the issue of police misconduct.
As board members of Strategies for Youth, an organization that works to protect young people from police victimization and was quoted in the June 15 article, “A System that Neither Protects nor Punishes,” we applaud The Washington Post for highlighting this horrific pattern of criminal behavior. We thought the following statement in the Washington Post’s reporting was particularly important: “Without a clear message that inappropriate behavior toward children will not be tolerated, employers may mislead potential offenders into believing they will not get caught.”
In fact, the lack of policies to protect children from sexual abuse is one example of a deeper, broader systemic failure of law enforcement oversight of their treatment of juveniles. A recent poll commissioned by SFY found that a majority of the public believes there are already written policies in place regulating police interactions with juveniles. In fact, most agencies lack even basic policies and de-escalation training that acknowledge that children respond differently than adults and need to be treated differently.
Here in Massachusetts, SFY is working to pioneer such a policy, which, if successful, would make Massachusetts one of the first states in the country to implement such a policy. Without such policies and oversight, as The Post has reported since at least 2021, young people will continue to be at unique risk of long-term physical and psychological harm during encounters with police.
These serious deficiencies in oversight not only put children at risk, but also entire communities and the ability of law enforcement officers to effectively protect and serve the public.
Jordy McClelland and Dena Enos, Cambridge, Massachusetts
The authors serve as co-chairs of the board of directors of Strategies for Youth.
How would you explain these articles to a 5-year-old? How would you let them know that the adults who are supposed to protect them — police officers, clergy, coaches, teachers, elected officials — may not be trustworthy? Prestige should not protect anyone, nor should it grant immunity or absolve anyone from consequences.
As power is misused, division, suspicion and distrust grow. These betrayals have lifelong effects on the victims and negatively impact society.
How many more victims do we need before prevention and accountability become a priority, rather than viewed as an inconvenience or expensive? For example, the United States allocated just $2 million in 2022 to research ways to prevent child sexual abuse. Yet sexual abuse is a costly public health problem. That same year, the United States spent $5.4 billion on incarcerating adults convicted of sex crimes against children, and the annual economic impact of child sexual abuse was estimated at $9.3 billion.
We have seen time and again how societies and systems respond by protecting perpetrators and the people and institutions that enable them, resulting in no real closure for victims and no guarantee that such crimes will not happen or be forgotten in the future. Why don’t we prioritize the lives, futures, livelihoods and families of victims? It is maladaptive to blame and shame victims instead of perpetrators, creating a hostile environment.
In the face of this indifference, the responsibility for keeping ourselves safe falls on us. We must equip ourselves and young people with strategies to distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy adults. We must raise societal awareness of the tactics people in positions of authority use to control others, and institute policies and actions that rein in and hold those in power accountable.
What message are these articles sending to kids? If you want to get away with wrongdoing, you have a good chance if you’re in a position of power.
Kathryn McClain, Golden, Colorado
Never leave teenagers, especially girls or young women, alone with a police officer, pastor, clergyman, or other authority figure. When I was a graduate assistant and then a community college instructor, I always left my office door open when meeting with female students, for their protection and for my own protection.
Roger Elmore, Beaufort, South Carolina
The exception proves the rule
The June 15 article, “Abuse with the Badge,” identified 1,800 police officers nationwide who have been charged with child sexual abuse between 2005 and 2022. Many of them were found to have received reduced sentences or other punishments supposedly due to their time in law enforcement. This behavior and light punishments are truly reprehensible.
But I wish the Post had considered the crimes of these officers, who make up just over 0.2 percent of all law enforcement officers, compared to the service of the approximately 800,000 law enforcement officers in the United States, or to the 136 law enforcement officers who will be killed in the line of duty in 2023 alone, according to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund. Focusing on a few bad actors and ignoring the sacrifices of many uniformed personnel paints a biased and unfair portrayal of law enforcement.
Stephen E. Freeman, Springfield
