VALLEY SEX CRIMES SOLVED 93% OF TIME.Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. detectives have made major strides investigating sex crimes this year, solving 93 percent of their cases as a result of community-based policing and getting specially trained detectives to crime scenes immediately. The investigative progress reflects a major jump for the Valley in solving this year's 1,304 reported sex crimes, compared with last year when detectives solved 62 percent of their 1,520 sex-crime cases. Citywide, detectives have solved 80 percent of the 4,175 reported cases this year, compared with 57 percent of 4,856 sex-crime cases in 2002. ``It's community-based policing,'' said LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. Deputy Chief Ronald Bergmann, the Valley Bureau commander. ``We're getting more tips from the public. The officers are working hard. And we've got a lot of people dedicated to sex crimes.'' A case is solved - ``cleared,'' in police-speak - when a suspect has been either identified or arrested. The Valley Bureau, which typically records the highest numbers of sex- crime cases out of the department's four geographic regions, has been intensifying its efforts to tackle the problem. Bergmann is placing a team of 25 sex-crime detectives into a 24-hour rotation to be on call for when sex crimes are reported anywhere in the Valley. And patrol officers are being asked to provide more detailed reports regarding witness interviews. It is part of the department's major reorganization effort under Chief William Bratton. Sex crimes are near the top of the priority list. ``We handle sex-crime scenes just like a homicide homicide (hŏm`əsīd), in law, the taking of human life. Homicides that are neither justifiable nor excusable are considered crimes. A criminal homicide committed with malice is known as murder, otherwise it is called manslaughter. crime scene,'' said Detective Jary Quinones, a supervisor in the West Valley Division. ``I expect more from the patrol officer to have more meat in the report. The burden's now on patrol to interview witnesses more thoroughly instead of passing a business card to the witness and telling them to call a detective on Monday.'' This is the type of 24-hour, seven-day-a-week coverage the District Attorney's Office says yields a consistently higher-quality level of investigation that is needed for a successful prosecution. ``The types of things that are helpful to the investigation is the corroborating evidence corroborating evidence n. evidence which strengthens, adds to, or confirms already existing evidence. - if the victim promptly seeks medical attention, if a rape kit rape kit Forensic medicine A collection of receptacles–cups, envelopes, plastic bags, tubes, disposable items–cotton swabs, napkins, pipettes and tools–sterile comb for pubic hairs, sheets–used to obtain evidentiary specimens from a rape is taken, if photos of the trauma are taken, biological evidence and DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. ,'' said Bill Hodgman, deputy district attorney who heads the sex- crimes division. ``The quality of investigation this year has been consistently high.'' Police have been working closer with victims' advocacy groups, including the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Commission on Assaults Against Women (LACAAW LACAAW Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women ) and the Valley Trauma Center trauma center n. A medical facility that is designated to treat severe physical trauma as a result of the specialized training of its staff and the availability of appropriate diagnostic and treatment tools. , to accompany victims to the hospital and encourage them to testify in court. ``Things are quite better than they were years ago,'' said Sandra Henriquez of the LACAAW, which has staffers and volunteer advocates and a 24-hour hotline. But even when the police are at their best, sometimes it's the victims who can fall through the cracks, especially in Hollywood, police there said. Detective Art Placentia responded about a month ago to a Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. motel where a woman alleged she had been raped by several drunken men. Placentia called the crime lab and sent police to the hospital to respond to the victim, and immediately processed the scene. He wrote up a thorough report and filed it with a rape detective to follow up the next day. ``Even though the night-watch detective did a good job and we were able to ID one suspect with prints, the victim disappeared. She was a prostitute prostitute n. a person who receives payment for sexual intercourse or other sexual acts, generally as a regular occupation. Although usually a prostitute refers to a woman offering sexual favors to men, male prostitutes may perform homosexual acts for money or ,'' said Detective Elizabeth Estupinian of the Hollywood Division, which cleared all 22 sexual-assault cases reported in October, and also cleared 14 backlogged cases. ``It's very common in Hollywood. Unfortunately, these women are victimized all the time. Sex predators know that. They won't report it because they think that they will get arrested or no one will believe their story.'' Jason Kandel, (818) 713-3664 jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: SOLVING SEX CRIMES SOURCE: Los Angeles Police Dept Daily News |
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