NY Women's Rights Group Talks With NYPD About Officer's 'Callous' Rape Comments

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN — New York City's chapter of the National Organization for Women met with NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill at the Greenpoint precinct building to discuss how the NYPD will remain accountable to survivors of sexual assault. The meeting came weeks after the organization, along with hundreds of women across the city, protested what the organization called "callous" comments made by Greenpoint's NYPD captain Peter Rose about rape.

Rose said that earlier this month that an increase in rapes in his precinct was "not a trend that we're too worried about because out of 13, only two were true stranger rapes."

The officer continued: "They're not total abomination rapes where strangers are being dragged off the streets... 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 Ossario, president of the National Organization for Women, called for more detectives assigned to Special Victims squads, and for the detectives to be more experienced and have more training about treating every rape case seriously.

"We are very encouraged by the commitment of Commissioner O’Neill and his team to listen to survivors and advocates and to improve how the NYPD handles sexual assault. There are a number of new polices already being implemented, but there is still a long way to go," Ossorio said.

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The organization said it presented to the NYPD on Tuesday evidence of widespread misunderstanding about the seriousness of rape amongst officers and demanded a specific list of reforms and actions on the agency's handling of sexual assault.

The day after Rose's comments at a monthly precinct meeting were reported by DNAInfo, the National Organization for Women gathered dozens of protesters outside the precinct to demonstrate. Rose apologized for his comments a few days later in a statement.

"I would like to take this opportunity to offer my apology for comment that I made at the 94 Precinct Community Council meeting. I deeply regret the statements I made last week about rape," Rose wrote.

"I failed to communicate accurately how I respond to reports of rape, and the actions the Department takes as a whole. My comments were not meant to minimize the seriousness of sexual assault. Every rape whether it is perpetrated by a stranger or someone known to them is fully investigated. We make no distinction in our response."

Lead photo via Patch staff