News: MCASA joins coalition urging federal government to issue guidance on gender bias in policing of sexual assault and domestic violence

MCASA joined 89 national organizations and 97 other state and local organizations, in urging Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the United States Department of Justice to issue guidance outlining the ways in which gender bias in the policing of sexual assault and domestic violence can violate federal law and constitute police misconduct. Such bias prevents perpetrators from being held accountable and systematically denies justice to survivors of sexual and domestic violence. The letter recounts a number of examples of egregious police misconduct, including failure to test evidence kits, continuing to employ dozens of officers who had been arrested multiple times for sexual assault, and arresting sexual assault survivors for minor infractions in lieu of investigating the sexual assaults those survivors had been attempting to report. The full letter, as well as the list of signatories, can be viewed by clicking here.