Greenwich Sexual Assault Investigations

Allegations of sexual assault can have serious consequences for those accused. Due to the serious nature of the offense, law enforcement often investigates these allegations before making an arrest and starting the trial process. If you want to know more about Greenwich sexual assault investigations and your rights during an investigation, consult a knowledgeable sexual assault attorney that could answer your questions.

How Sexual Assault Investigations Begin

Sexual assault cases are typically reported by the complaining party, who contact the Greenwich police department by phone or actually go into the Greenwich police department to say they want to make a report. From there, the person reporting the assault will be interviewed and can give a statement at that time. Greenwich sexual assault investigations are more common in cases involving sexual assault in the first and second degree.

Investigations are also common prior to arrest in sexual assault cases. In sexual assault cases specifically, it is much more common that there will be a full investigation that could take several months. The police officers will speak to the complaining party, the accused party, any witnesses, and any forensic examiners. It is not common for law enforcement officers to arrest an alleged attacker prior to conducting an investigation. It does happen, but in most cases, there is an investigation.

Persons Responsible for Investigating Sexual Assault Cases

Sexual assault cases are investigated by the Special Victims Unit of the Greenwich police department at first, where they take the initial statement into the investigation. Typically, they would apply for an arrest warrant, which would be reviewed by a prosecutor and a judge. Once that is signed and the person is placed under arrest, then the investigation would continue within the state attorney’s office. They would continue to speak to witnesses and also speak with the defense attorney at that point as well.

It would be rare for a federal agency to get involved without some other aggravating factor. For example, if there is some kind of drug or illegal firearm involved, the federal agencies might take it up for that. If there is any allegation of any kind of sex trafficking or human trafficking component, then the federal agency would get involved.

Forensic Medical Examinations

Forensic medical information usually consists of what is commonly referred to as a rape kit. Someone who is making a claim of forcible sexual assault would go to the hospital and have a rape kit performed. It would be given back to the state lab, which would analyze it.

Additionally, younger victims go through what is called a forensic interview, where specialists would handle sexual assault trauma and interview the person. That result would be given to the Greenwich state department.

Collection of Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations

During Greenwich sexual assault investigations, the state is looking for evidence of any DNA of the alleged attacker. In the actual interview, they would be looking for a clear disclosure of a sexual assault from the alleged victim. This evidence is collected via a rape kit. Sexual assault nurse examinations are connected to rape kits, where they would take any potential physical evidence off of someone making a sex assault complaint. They look for DNA, checking if there is any evidence of fighting, resistance, or force.

The nurse would take physical samples of the person like physical samples, which would mean having to apply to the court for an order to be able to get a sample of the alleged attacker’s DNA. DNA testing is used to confirm the involvement of the alleged attacker. During the rape kit, they will check the alleged victim’s entire body to see if there is any of the alleged attacker’s DNA anywhere on them that can be used as evidence against them. As far as the tactics go for the interview, these people are trained to be able to interview younger alleged victims in a way that makes them feel comfortable and willing to disclose what had happened.

What if There is No Physical Evidence?

If there is no physical evidence, there is no DNA for the state to use against the person. If that is the case, the police will look into any interviews or statements made by the alleged victim. They might look to see if there is security footage or any third parties who have information about the incident that can assist in their investigation.

Value of a Greenwich Sexual Assault Attorney

Sexual assault investigations in Greenwich are handled very seriously, as they are elsewhere throughout the country. A lot of times, the state attorney and the judges will be aggressive in the prosecution of these cases and in the penalties of someone who is convicted of any sexual assault crime. If you have been charged with a sexual assault offense, you consult an experienced criminal defense attorney who has done these before and understands how to carefully scrutinize all of the evidence that they are claiming to have. They should also know how to look into things on their own that can help in the person’s defense.