Who can you trust?

Many of us have been taught to trust law enforcement, that we are safe with them, but for some that has not always been the case. In 2017 18-year-old Anna Chambers was arrested for marijuana possession and was then raped by the two arresting police officers in the back of their unmarked car and was dumped on a street corner. The young woman pressed charges, but they were found not guilty because the accused officers stated that it was consensual. They ended up pleading guilty to lesser charges and received only five years of probation, no jail time. According to this article sexual assault by law enforcement is the second most common form of misconduct by police officers. It also states that women of low income and women of color have primarily been the target for these horrendous acts.  Since then, many states have passed laws that make it illegal to engage in sexual activities with a person that has been detained whether they believe it to be consensual. It makes you wonder how many women have been victims of sexual assault by the hands of someone in law enforcement, but had not been believed because the police officer states that it was “consensual”? There was another case reported in 2015 where police officer Daniel Hortzclaw was convicted of five counts of rape and 13 counts of sexual assaults against eight black women. As a woman, these situations make it very hard to trust law enforcement especially when you are alone. With that being said, not every police officer is a predator, but it makes you aware of what could happen.

When Cops Rape Those in Custody: Closing the Law Enforcement Consent Loophole – Ms. Magazine (msmagazine.com)