Group Protests Comments By NYPD Officer Who Downplayed Seriousness of Rape

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN — Dozens of protesters demonstrated outside Greenpoint's police precinct on Tuesday afternoon against comments made last week by a city police captain who minimized the seriousness of rape. The protest was led by the National Organization for Women, whose New York president called the remarks "outrageous."

The protest was focused on remarks by NYPD Precinct Capt. Peter Rose, who said at a recent precinct meeting, as reported by DNAInfo, that a spike in rapes in Greenpoint wasn't worrying officers because "out of 13, only two were true stranger rapes."

He continued to say that, "They're not total abomination rapes where strangers are being dragged off the streets."

Later, he added, "If there's a true stranger rape, a random guy picks up a stranger off the street, those are the troubling ones. That person has, like, no moral standards."

Sonia Ossorio, NOW's New York president, blasted the captain for not understanding the seriousness of rape of all forms.

"Acquaintance rape is as horrific a crime as stranger rape," she said. "That's what the law says, and that's what we expect our law enforcement officials to understand. Most rapes are committed by perpetrators whose identity is known to the victim If police are failing to take acquaintance rapes seriously, they are failing to take most rapes seriously."

"The worst part is that this mentality is widespread in our criminal justice system," said Jane Manning, Director of Advocacy for NOW-New York's partner organization, Women's Justice NOW. "This captain said something out loud that far too many law enforcement officials believe and put into practice. This means worse treatment for victims who report sex crimes to the police, less effort and fewer resources devoted to investigating sex crimes, and higher chances that sexual predators will get away with their crimes so that they can attack again."

Rose issued a formal apology for his remarks on Monday, saying, "I failed to communicate accurately how I respond to reports of rape."

Ossorio said the goal of Tuesday's protest was to hear directly from the police commissioner about how he will make sure every commanding officer throughout NYC takes every rape seriously.

Photos via NOW-NYC