Baltimore County Sexual Assault Investigations Task Force Issues Final Recommendations

October 18, 2019

Review of Current Policies, National Best Practices and Recommendations

Following eight months of work, Baltimore County's Sexual Assault Investigations Task Force today released its final report reviewing Baltimore County's current policies, outlining national best practices and issuing recommendations to improve Baltimore County's system for investigating sexual assaults.

Formed in February by Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, the Sexual Assault Investigations Task Force was charged with reviewing practices and procedures related to sexual assault investigations and prosecution of allegations of sexual assault in Baltimore County, and making recommendations to improve those practices and procedures.

"People deserve to know that, when they are the victims of sexual assault, our law enforcement agencies will use every resource at our disposal to bring justice," said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. "These recommendations will not sit on a shelf. I charged our taskforce with developing actionable recommendations that we can put into place quickly, and I'm grateful to the task force members for their diligent work in carrying out that charge."

Task Force Composition

The Task Force included a diverse roster of talented and knowledgeable individuals, including:

  • Sheryl Goldstein, Task Force Chair
  • David Thomas, Program Manager, International Association of Chiefs of Police
  • Rosalyn Branson, CEO of TurnAround, Inc. 
  • Laura Clary, Program Manager, GBMC SAFE Program
  • John Cox, Deputy State's Attorney, Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office
  • Lt. Brian Edwards, Commander of the Baltimore County Police Department's Special Victims Unit
  • Nadia BenAissa, student at UMBC, co-chair of the Retriever Courage Student Advisory Committee and president of UMBC's We Believe You survivor activist and advocacy group

"I applaud County Executive Olszewski's leadership on this important issue and was honored to help lead the members of this task force who contributed their time and wisdom to this collaborative effort," said Sexual Assault Investigations Task Force Chair Sheryl Goldstein. "This report provides clear, actionable recommendations that will build upon the reforms already underway to review and revise systems for handling sexual assault cases and improve outcomes for victims."

Recommendations

The Sexual Assault Investigations Task Force' report offers 23 recommendations for changes to policy and practices, including: 

  • Implementing a comprehensive sexual assault investigations policy to govern all sexual assault cases
  • Developing and implementing a uniform and centralized records system for its sexual assault cases. 
  • Continuing efforts to expand support for rape kit testing
  • Continuing to move towards a trauma-informed, victim-centered and offender-focused model of investigations.
  • Working with victim advocacy organizations and other non-profits, including TurnAround, Inc., to create a standardized protocol process for engaging with victims.     
  • Establishing standard procedures for handling incidents of sexual assault on college campuses or involving victims associated with these institutions. 
  • Increasing staffing of the County's Special Victims Unit to better manage the caseload and best serve victims.  
  • Performing an audit of 911 calls for service for incidents of sexual assault annually
  • Reviewing all national best practice information provided by the Task Force and institute policies consistent with these best practices. 

Baltimore County will use the results of the study to guide efforts to improve Baltimore County's sexual assault investigations.

The full Report of Findings and Recommendations (PDF) is available to download and read online.

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