Alternatives to standard reporting procedures

Consider alternatives to standard reporting procedures.[1]  Communities may want to consider alternatives to reporting, such as anonymous or blind reporting, in cases in which victims do not want to immediately report or are undecided about reporting (but are willing to report anonymously).[2]  Government entities that mandate reporting for sexual assaults, in particular, may want to explore the option of third-party anonymous reporting for mandated reports.[3]  Although the practice of anonymous reporting is not widespread, it appears promising in that it allows victims and/or third-party reporters to share critical information about the assault with law enforcement without sacrificing confidentiality and filing a complaint. It also enables investigators to gain information about sex crimes that would otherwise go unreported. 
 
To develop an anonymous/blind reporting system, law enforcement agencies can: 
  • Establish and uphold a policy of victim confidentiality; 
  • Allow victims to disclose as little or as much information as they wish;
  • Accept the information whenever victims might offer it—a delay in disclosure is not an indicator of the validity of the statement;
  • Develop procedures and forms to facilitate anonymous information from third parties (e.g., examiners);
  • Clarify options with victims for future contact—where, how, and under what circumstances they may be contacted by the law enforcement agency; and 
  • Maintain these reports in separate files from official complaints to avoid inappropriate use. 
Victims making anonymous or blind reports and going through the medical forensic exam should be informed about jurisdictional policies regarding storage of evidence and exam payment. (In some communities, it is a challenge to find adequate space to hold evidence in cases where a report has not been made. For more information on this topic, see B.6. Evidence Integrity.) If victims have evidence collected, they also should have the option of being notified if DNA evidence from their case is linked to an offender already in the national DNA database or identifies other victims of the same offender.[4]  Informed consent from victims for notification should be sought during the initial report, as well as appropriate times and methods to recontact them.[5] 
 
[1]The first two paragraphs in this section are drawn from S. Garcia and M. Henderson, Blind Reporting of Sexual Violence, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, June 1999, pp. 12–16. 
[2] For example, the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Police Department’s blind reporting system for sexual assault enables victims to disclose as much or as little information as they want. A detective records the information but does not initiate an investigation unless victims decide to file a formal complaint. The blind reporting system has been credited with contributing to a steady increase in sexual assault reporting. The number of male victims who reported during that time also rose. (K. Littel, M. Malefyt, and A. Walker, Assessing the Justice System Response to Violence Against Women: A Tool for Law Enforcement, Prosecution, and the Courts to Use in Developing Effective Response, 1998, pp. 18–9.) 
[3] For example, all health care providers in Massachusetts who attend to, treat, or examine a sexual assault patient are required to submit a third-party anonymous report (with no identifying information) to law enforcement in the community where the assault occurred as well as to the State police. This report is required even if patients report the assault. (Commonwealth of Massachusetts SANE Protocol, 2002, pp. 8–9.) 
[4] The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) is an electronic database of DNA profiles obtained from evidence samples from unsolved crimes and from known individuals convicted of particular crimes. Contributions to this database are made through State crime laboratories. The FBI maintains the data. 
[5] All those involved in immediate response, including victims, need to understand the nature of DNA evidence and how CODIS can be used to match offenders with DNA in the database. They also need to know the status of CODIS in their jurisdiction (CODIS is not yet up and running in some States, and States have varying laws regarding which crimes qualify for inclusion in the database). 


Go to the Next Section: Reporting to Law Enforcement > Promoting a victim-centered reporting process

Download printer-friendly versions