Anne Arundel County police to stop asking sex assault victims to waive rights to investigation.
'Anne Arundel County officials moved Tuesday to end the controversial practice of asking victims of sexual assault to waive their rights to an investigation.
The policy change came the same day that The Baltimore Sun reported that police departments in the Baltimore area prompted victims to waive their rights to an investigation 223 times in 2017 and 2018. During that period, Baltimore County had the highest number: 172 victims reporting sexual assault signed the forms over the two years. Anne Arundel had 43. Harford County had eight.
The practice runs counter to guidance from experts and from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, as it can be seen as a way to discourage the victim from participating in an investigation. Many victims in the Baltimore area have been asked to sign the waiver hours after an attack — sometimes while in the hospital, before or just after a forensic examination.
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman directed Police Chief Timothy J. Altomare to cease the use of the waiver with sexual assault victims on Tuesday afternoon, according to County Executive spokesperson Chris Trumbauer.'>>>
https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/for_the_record/bs-md-sexual-assault-waiver-reaction-20190219-story.html?
