PSC Backup - #6 Update on Sexual Assault Evaluation — original pdf

Backup

Comprehensive Evaluation of Sexual Assault Investigations Update Council Resolution 20190131-077 Patricia Bourenane, City of Austin Rachael Arietti, Police Executive Research Forum Sarah Mostyn, Police Executive Research Forum Public Safety Commission October 5, 2020 Overview • Background • Scope of Work • Vendor Selection • Status Update 2 Background • Council Resolution 20190131-077 • comprehensive evaluation of how reported sexual assaults are investigated and processed • Vendor Requirements • comprehensive evaluation of how reported sexual assaults are investigated and processed investigation and prosecution of adult sexual assault • nationally recognized, non-governmental entity • • comprehensive and multidisciplinary evaluation • previous successful experience evaluating similarly sized organizations • commitment to engage with the public 3 Scope of Work - Components of Evaluation • At a minimum either 200 sexual assault cases or fifty percent of sexual assault cases from each year, whichever number is greater, for each of the prior seven years of sexual assault case reports • Cases examined should be diverse as to: • Cross section of investigators investigating cases • Type of victim • Include cases that did and did not move forward to prosecution. • The vendor may add to above criteria. 4 Scope of Work - Components of Evaluation • Conduct interviews • Research adherence to state and federal law • Review APD police and practices • Determine adherence to national best practices • Review of treatment given to victims in cases involving drug and alcohol training • Evaluate appropriateness of current staffing, resources, and • Assess accuracy of case clearance decisions • Issues regarding current policies 5 Scope of Work - Components of Written Report • Shared publicly and not be redacted except for redactions to maintain anonymity and privacy of individuals otherwise identified in the report. • Public Safety Commission and the Commission for Women • Findings of the information reviewed and corresponding data sets • Recommendations 6 Vendor Selection • Request for Information (RFI) February 20 – 27, 2019 • Request for Qualifications (RFQS) April – May 2019 • Complete Evaluation Mid-June 2019 • City Council approval September 19, 2019 - Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) (Contractor) - Woman’s Law Project and the Wellesley Center for Women (Subcontractors) 7 Timeline Project Duration – 2.5 years, ending in February 2022 Major Milestones 1) Kick-Off Meetings – Complete 2) Policy/Procedure Review – ongoing process, scheduled to end November 2020 3) Case Review – initially scheduled to end May 2021 / In Progress 4) Interviews/Site Visit – initially scheduled to end May 2021 / TBD 5) Final Report – February 2022 6) Presentation on Findings – February 2022 8 Kick-Off Meetings – November 6-8, 2019 • City Manager’s Office • Council Member Alison Alter • APD Leadership • APD Victim Services Unit and Sex Crimes Unit • Public Safety Commission and Commission for Women • SAFE Alliance 9 • Completion of Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) Certification Process Status Update Preliminary Planning - Fingerprinting - CJIS Online Training Document Review • Reviewed policies and procedures for the APD Sex Crimes Unit and Victim Services Unit • Reviewed relevant trainings on the response to sex crimes Updates – Council and Boards & Commissions • Presented updates to Commission for Women, Austin/Travis County SARRT, and the Public Safety Commission 10 Status Update Review of APD Sex Crimes Cases • Worked with APD crime analysts to identify all cases that fell within the scope of the review • Development of case review metrics • Randomly selected 50% of cases from each year (2012-2018) - Total of 1,929 cases • Austin City Legal review of selected cases • Interrater Reliability Tests • Finalization of case review metrics • Case review 11 Questions 12