Before calling the police in Tampa to report a rape it might be wise to run a background check on yourself.
Tampa Police are considering a policy change after a rape victim was thrown in jail
The Tampa Police Department is looking at whether it needs to change policy. The examination comes after a 21 year old woman spent nearly two days in jail after telling police that she was raped during Saturday’s Gasparilla parade.
The woman called police for help but police ran a background check on the 21 year old USF pre-med student and found an outstanding warrant from Sarasota county. Police say the victim owed over $4,000 dollars in restitution for a grand theft case that dates back to 2003.
The victim’s attorney says the restitution was taken care of long ago and that under no circumstance should a rape victim be jailed after suffering something so traumatic.
From TampaBays10.com
Why any thinking police officer would place this rape victim in a jail without consulting with a prosecutor or superior in the police department is beyond me. Failure to make restitution is not even on the same planet as being raped. It should not take a policy change to avoid this mind-boggling absurdity. Are we to assume that if this young student had reported the murder of her child she would have still been photographed, fingerprinted, strip searched and jailed?
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