Opinion: Jailing victim is outrageous

The abuse of authority that caused a Tampa rape victim to be arrested, jailed and allegedly denied emergency medical care is hard, even days later, to believe. The 21-year-old woman reported to police she was raped as she left Saturday's Gasparilla parade. But police arrested and handcuffed her after a check showed she had failed to pay restitution in a four-year-old case. The victim's attorney also said a supervisor at the county jail refused her a dose of a pregnancy-prevention drug after objecting on religious grounds.

The premedical student said she separated from her friends about 1:30 p.m. and was walking north from the parade when a man grabbed and raped her behind a building near the festival. After the assault, she walked to her car and called authorities. After taking her for a medical exam, and while processing the report, police found warrants for her from Sarasota County. Records showed she had failed to pay $4,585 in restitution from a 2003 juvenile case. She was arrested and booked into the county jail about eight hours after she reported the rape.

But her ordeal wasn't over yet. A doctor had given her Plan B, the "morning-after" pill. Yet the victim's attorney said a medical supervisor at the jail denied her the second dose needed for the emergency contraceptive to work. The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office, which runs the jail, said medical service policies are set by its contractor, Armor Correctional Health. Armor denied wrongdoing Tuesday. The victim was allowed to take her second dose but only after reporters inquired and more than 24 hours later than recommended, her attorney said.

Tampa police have tried to minimize the mistake as a flaw in department policy. Chief Steve Hogue changed the manual Tuesday, ordering his officers to balance any arrest order against the trauma a victim of violent crime might be suffering at the time. But this was not, as police said, a case where officers needed a "greater degree of discretionary latitude." What officers needed was the judgment to realize that hauling a rape victim to jail was stupid and wrong. The sergeant in charge also should have known that throwing the victim in jail on a weekend made it harder for her to contest, as she has, the accuracy of the warrant.

Giving officers more discretion is fine if they have enough judgment to use it responsibly. Any front-line supervisor who must consult a manual to apply common sense is not leadership material. We hope the department's change in policy makes officers more sensitive, but the police chief still owes an explanation of what his street-level supervisors were thinking. This arrest is too egregious to sweep away. The sheriff and Armor also need to clarify whether the victim was kept from taking her medication. The suggestion that Armor calls the shots is unacceptable. The sheriff is responsible for what occurs in his jail.

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Comments on this article

by Karla	02/01/07 09:18 PM
The cops dont care if she was raped, they wanted the $4585.00 instead of the rapest (he wont have any money). And the nurse who refused to give the medication needs to lose her licence, she should know that her religious belifes dont matter.....

by Tehomet	02/01/07 06:38 PM
What a charming country and what a fair and sensible law system you Americans have. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. I hope the lady who was treated so badly sues the Police Department and that jail worker for punitive damages.

by Reggie	01/31/07 08:49 PM
Tampa is renowned for police incompetance. Cops with no common should be fired. The courthouse there is just as bad. Charles Bergmann is the judge known for having absolutely no common sense.

by Peter	01/31/07 08:30 PM
A Sgt. made the decision. The NYPD calls their patrol procedures a guide to followed unless good reason exists to do otherwise. Some officers may not want to stray from the security of the rules, call a supervisor, but how did that guy get promoted?

by Vic	01/31/07 04:05 PM
Does this editorialist NOT have anything better to write about other than this OBVIOUSLY outrageous story?Come on,any moron can figure out that what happened was outrageous.The WHOLE situation was outrageous.We don't need to be told so by this idiot.

by Kay	01/31/07 02:03 PM
Sure, a warrant should be served, however, not in the middle of an investigation into a violent crime. She reported it and wasn't going anywhere so they had every chance to address that AFTER the violent crime investigation.

by Jim	01/31/07 01:51 PM
Rich, Mike, The cops dropped a hot, violent-crime investigation to pursue a 4-year old, non-violent, juvenile warrant! Wake up! I hope neither of you ever get raped in Tampa.

by Jim	01/31/07 01:40 PM
What, if anything, is being done to apprehend the perp? -typical of news stories we see all the time: Cops can't find their asses with two hands, unless there were donuts in their back pockets. Maybe the perp will call 911 and says "Oh, by the way...

by mark	01/31/07 12:50 PM
So the position of the Times comes down to this: Responsible taxpayers do not deserve tax breaks. But parasitic bums deserve our money and sympathy, and criminals deserve deferential treatment. Thanks SPT, for always starting my day with a laugh.

by mikec	01/31/07 12:07 PM
Outrageous? I don't think so. Her warrant and her alleged rape are 2 completely seperate issues. The latter simply doesn't excuse the former. But as usual the SPT can be counted on to whip up sympathy for a criminal rather than reporting news.

by S	01/31/07 11:45 AM
The nurse and supervisor should be fired at the jail. Personal beliefs cannot be used in professional decisions!

by SOG	01/31/07 11:12 AM
Why is it we are always looking for someone to blame? Something terrible happened. Get the victim the help she needs. Catch the scum that did this. Revise the process of arresting a victim of a this type of crime. Move on.

by kevin	01/31/07 10:41 AM
Time to fire some folks.

by Rich	01/31/07 10:03 AM
She did not take responsibility for a CRIME she committed in the past and should have been jailed. She should not have been denied the pregnancy-prevention drug and the nurse should be fired IF its true.

by Cindy	01/31/07 09:48 AM
Cops seek power in various forms....always at the expense of others....and we let them ...SAD

by KB	01/31/07 09:38 AM
This is what happens when the gov't subcontracts all of their institutions, too--THANKS JEB. There is NO oversight or any responsibility when it comes to these companies.

by mike	01/31/07 08:53 AM
She had a felony warrant. Should she be arrested if the warrant is for murder? Shoplifting? DUI? Maybe TPD should call the St. Pete Times for advice on which felonies warrant an arrest. I feel sorry for the girl, but I sure don't blame the police.

by John	01/31/07 07:17 AM
I have to side with the police here. The rape was a horrible act and I hope the monster is caught. However, the woman had a felony arrest warrant. The only person who should be fired is the nursing supervisor.

by Chris	01/31/07 06:46 AM
Yes, it was outrageous to jail the victim while denying her the drug which (might) prevent a pregnancy. The supervisor taking this decision should be fired immediately. We don't need religious bigots taking these sort of arbitrary decisions.

by Joe	01/31/07 05:41 AM
As a contractor to a goverment agency you agree to work under thier rules. The nurse should be fired failure due to discrimation aqainst a person needing medical help.

by brian	01/31/07 05:06 AM
This story just confirms what an old friend of mine used to say,and that is"if you want to be a cop, they shouldn't llet you be one"