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“‘Simple rape’ shouldn’t be considered a crime,” says NOPD detective.

New Orleans – Information contained in an investigative report released Wednesday shocks the conscience. The most startling case involves a New Orleans detective that handled child abuse cases closing one particular case involving a 2-year-old, that was brought to an emergency room as a sexual assault victim, without ever investigating the case even though tests confirmed the child had contracted a STD.

According to a report from CNN, Akron Davis, the detective in charge of the case involving the 2-year-old, claimed the child “did not disclose any information that would warrant a criminal investigation and closed the case.” Common sense would dictate that a child testing positive for an STD would be indicative of sexual activity, but apparently not to this detective.

The report examined the work of five detectives in the New Orleans Special Victims Unit, between the months of January 2011 through December 2013.

The investigation indicates that follow up reports on cases were only filed in 179 out of 1,290 sex crimes, with one detective going so far as to state that he believed “simple rape” shouldn’t be considered a crime.

“Simple rape” is defined as someone having sex with another person without their consent.

The report indicated that many cases of abused children and rape victims were never even investigated, with only 450 initial reports being filed out of the 1,290 calls. Detectives failed to write a report in 65 percent of the cases, classifying them as “miscellaneous,” thus leaving no possible way to even attempt to investigate these cases now.

And to add insult to injury, police officials have confirmed that the five detectives — Akron Davis, Vernon Haynes, Merrell Merricks, Derrick Williams and Damita Williams — have all been reassigned to patrol duty, and two supervisors have been transferred, though no one has yet had to face any disciplinary action.

So rather than actually punishing these officers, it seems everyday citizens will be the ones punished by having to deal with these vile miscreants working a beat.

The lack of accountability and total disregard for public safety on the part of the New Orleans Police Department is mind numbing. In total only 14 percent of cases were followed up on by the detectives.

The report called on police to fully investigate at least 271 cases that the detectives failed to investigate, according Daily Mail.

Two of the detectives are accused in the report of writing six reports on the same day in 2013 in an effort to make it look like follow up reports were done for previous cases from years past.

Police Superintendent Michael Harrison stated that he was “deeply disturbed” by the report, and said the detectives could potentially be fired and face criminal charges pending an internal investigation.

This department is no stranger to corruption, as the U.S. Department of Justice in 2012 investigated the NOPD. The investigation found massive corruption, excessive force, discrimination, and numerous issues with the sex crimes unit.

After the scathing federal investigation the city agreed to make a number of changes. A federal monitor was installed to oversee compliance of the changes, which obviously never took place judging by this latest scandal.

The extreme nature and gravity of these allegations indicate that this department has not changed and will not change. How can anyone trust an organization that allows the people they allege to protect to be brutalized without even an investigation?

The violation of the peoples’ trust, shown in this report, has to be one of the most startling cases of wholesale ineptness that this nation has ever witnessed.

Jay Syrmopoulos is an investigative journalist, freethinker, researcher, and ardent opponent of authoritarianism. He is currently a graduate student at University of Denver pursuing a masters in Global Affairs. Jay’s work has previously been published on BenSwann.com and WeAreChange.org. You can follow him on Twitter @sirmetropolis, on Facebook at Sir Metropolis and now on tsu.

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