An Albany criminal defense attorney helps victims who have been accused of violating the law in connection with sexual misconduct. Being accused of a sex crime is serious and can be life changing, and any defendant accused of wrongdoing should be certain to get legal help right away.
Accusations of sex crimes can be levied against people from all walks of life. In fact, the Washington Post recently indicated that there are allegations of some police officers misusing their badges to commit sex crimes.
Are Police Using their Power to Commit Sex Crimes?
The Washington Post provided insight into the problem of alleged police sexual misconduct, which some research suggests occurs far more frequently than most people expect. According to the Post, the Buffalo News had conducted an investigation of court records and media reports that spanned a decades long period in order to try to find out how big of a problem sexual misconduct is among police officers. That research revealed that police officers are accused of some type of unlawful sex act at least once every five days.
Incidents of police sexual misconduct were found to take many forms. Officers were accused of misconduct in connection with young people who were shadowing the police, as well as misconduct in connection with students. They were also accused of behaving inappropriately with motorists; informants; and even crime victims. In the majority of situations where accusations had been raised against police officers, more than 60 percent of the officers were charged with a crime or were otherwise subject to penalties, according to the Buffalo News’ investigation.
Other evidence has shown a similarly high rate of police allegedly abusing their power and engaging in sexual misconduct. For example, an analysis of more than 500 police officers nationwide who were arrested for sexual misconduct revealed that half of this misconduct occurred on duty. Much of the other half of the misconduct was also facilitated either by the officer’s badge or by the fact that the officer was in possession of a service weapon. The arrests of police officers were prompted, in many cases, by serious criminal acts including forcible fondling and even forcible rape.
The Post did not just share statistics either. It also told the story of a teenager who was forced to perform sexual acts and who was raped by defectives who had arrested her after finding marijuana in her car. The detectives reportedly told the girl’s friends not to follow them after arresting her and threatened that she would be charged criminally if she failed to cooperate with them. The officers in this particular case were indicted for kidnapping, official misconduct, and rape, among other charges.
Whether you are a police officer or any other individual who has been accused of a sex crime, you deserve to be viewed as innocent until proven guilty. An Albany criminal defense attorney can provide representation and can advocate for you as you fight charges. Give us a call today to learn more.
