James Leroy Wilson's one-man magazine.

Monday, September 02, 2019

Rape (not rape): 4 thoughts from the NYPD sex bribery scandal

Two former NYPD detectives, both male, received probation for "misconduct and receiving a bribe after the pair said they had sex with an 18-year-old [female] drug suspect in the back of a police vehicle in exchange for releasing her."

They had initially faced rape charges, but prosecutors dropped them. They are, however, facing a $50 million civil suit from the victim.

She had been pulled over by the cops and was in possession of marijuana. They took her into their van, and took turns having sex with her, while the other was driving. Then they released her.

So they either forcibly had sex with her, that is, raped her, or she offered sex, a bribe, to make the matter go away.

Four thoughts came to my head:

1. Good thing for the cops that the victim wasn't 17. Then they would be "pedophiles." Of course, they probably checked that at the beginning. But it still amazes how one day on a calendar can flip the script from poor little girl to evil temptress.

2. How is this not sexual coercion or sexual assault of some kind? The young woman was being detained, allegedly handcuffed, in a police vehicle. So what if she's the one who proposed sex for her release, or said something along the lines of "I'll do anything." She had zero leverage and zero power.

3. I have to wonder if these kinds of sexual "bribes," i.e., rapes, have been commonplace in police departments against female targets of vice laws like drug possession and prostitution. In fact, New York did pass a law barring sex between cops and people in their custody as a result of this incident, but only because the victim came forward.

4. The reputation of NYPD cops, or cops in general, was not damaged by this incident. Police departments could hardly be worse anyway. Even if most cops don't "have sex with" (rape) people in their custody, much of what they do ruins people's days or derail their lives. This ranges from traffic tickets that don't keep the roads safe but do raise revenue, to arrests for non-violent behavior. Even if prison or jail is avoided, a conviction can derail one's employment search.

It was bad enough that the cops detained this woman, who was minding her own business. If we kept cops off the street and gave them fewer laws to enforce, this wouldn't have happened.

James Leroy Wilson writes from Nebraska. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter. If you find value in his articles, your support through Paypal helps keep him going. Permission to reprint is granted with attribution.

1 comment:

  1. When one reads story after story like this, it's hard not to conclude that cops are the scum of the earth, who should be avoided when possible and defended against when necessary.

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