Crime Blog | Your filter to El Paso area police blotters and court dockets

FBI changes definition of rape to include men as victims

By Kevin Johnson / USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The FBI is changing its long-standing definition of rape for the first time to include sexual assaults on males following persistent calls from victims advocates who claim that the offense, as currently defined in the agency's annual crime report, has been undercounted for decades.

Under the current definition, established 85 years ago, many of the sex crimes alleged in the ongoing prosecution of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky would not be counted in the bureau's Uniform Crime Report, one of the most reliable measures of crime in the United States. Sandusky is accused in alleged assaults and sexual misconduct involving 10 male victims.

Rape is currently defined as the "carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will."

The new provision will define rape as any kind of penetration of another person, regardless of gender, without the victim's consent. It also includes a broad range of rapes involving both males and females in which attackers use objects to penetrate their victims.

"Rape is a devastating crime and we can't solve it unless we know the full extent of it,'' said Vice President Biden, who worked closely with advocates on the issue. "This long-awaited change to the definition of rape is a victory for women and men across the country whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years."

Attorney General Eric Holder called the change "long overdue'' and added that the new provision will "provide us with a more accurate understanding of the scope and volume of these crimes.''

Carol Tracy, executive director of the Women's Law Project, and 90 other organizations that support victims of sexual abuse have been pushing for such a change for more than a decade, saying that the public has long been "misled" about the prevalence of rape.

"If you can't measure it accurately, you can't monitor it and you can't direct appropriate resources to deal with the problem," Tracy said.

At stake are tens of millions of dollars in federal and state aid which flow to victims of sex crimes. The budgeting and distribution of that money has been based partly on the measures contained in the FBI's crime report.

In September, a survey of major city police chiefs found that 80% believed the old definition was "not adequate," according to the review by the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

"The crimes are still being prosecuted under state law, but the current definition is not a true reflection of the nature of sexual assault in the United States," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the police research group.

FBI Director Robert Mueller has approved the change, which will be phased into the data-collection process over the next two to three years.

The FBI's action is part of a broader national re-assessment of how rape and sexual crimes are reported and tracked in the United States.

Last month, the National Academies Committee on National Statistics launched a review on behalf of the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, which produces the National Crime Victimization Survey.

The 21-month study will examine how information about sex offenses is collected; it also will assess the quality of data published by BJS's National Crime Victimization Survey. The survey gathers information from victims to assess the prevalence of crime. The separate FBI report receives its data from local law enforcement agencies.

Although the separate reports are aimed at providing a more thorough measure, they offer very different accounts of sexual assault in the United States.

In 2010, for example, the FBI reported 84,767 rapes, down from 89,241 in 2009. Meanwhile, the victimization survey recorded 188,380 sexual assaults, up from 125,920 in 2009.

Carol House, the committee's study director, said the FBI statistics are believed to represent the lower estimate of rape in the United States, largely because of the confines of the old definition. The victimization survey, she said, provides "a middle range,'' that doesn't account for untold numbers of victims who are not comfortable sharing such personal information with surveyors.

"One of the problems is how you get somebody to agree to talk about something like this in a meaningful way while assuring that their (identities) will remain confidential,'' House said.

Most wanted family violence suspects

Crime Stoppers of El Paso is asking for help in finding the persons listed below who have outstanding warrants for family violence assaults. 

If you are a victim of or a witness to family violence, report it immediately at 911.  Or you can call Crime Stoppers at 566-TIPS (566-8477) to report on-going concerns.  You will remain anonymous, and you could receive a cash reward if your information proves useful in apprehending these offenders:

Julio Bostwick, 35, wanted for assault causing bodily injury/family violence

Jennifer Martinez, 27, wanted for assault causing bodily injury/family violence

Edward Herrera, 34, wanted for assault causing bodily injury/family violence

Elizabeth Siqueiros, 33, wanted for assault causing bodily injury/family violence

Sheriff's deputies seek stabbing suspect

LAS CRUCES — Doña Ana Sheriff's Investigators are looking for anyone who might have information on the location of a woman wanted for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Vanessa L. Garcia, 22, allegedly attacked another woman Sept. 2 and is believed to have fled to Arizona.

To read more and view Garcia's photo, click here.

Most wanted family violence suspects

Crime Stoppers of El Paso is asking for help in finding the persons listed below who have outstanding warrants for family violence assaults. If you are a victim of or a witness to family violence, report it immediately at 911, or call Crime Stoppers at 566-8477. Callers to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous, and could receive a cash reward if their information proves useful in apprehending these offenders:

Verman Haynes, 34, wanted for assault causing bodily injury/family violence.

Laura Morales, 31, wanted for assault causing bodily injury/family violence.

Juliana Simeona, 50, wanted for assault causing bodily injury/family violence.

Juan Castro, 22, wanted for assault causing bodily injury/family violence.

Most wanted family violence suspects

Crime Stoppers of El Paso is asking for help in finding the persons listed below who have outstanding warrants for family violence assaults. If you are a victim of or a witness to family violence, report it immediately at 911, or call Crime Stoppers at 566-8477. Callers to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous, and could receive a cash reward if their information proves useful in apprehending these offenders:

Manuel Herrera, 24, wanted for assault causing bodily injury/family violence.

Jesus Pineda, 42, wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/dating violence.

Homeless Calif. man suffered severe injuries during police beating

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES -- A homeless man suffered brain injuries, a shattered nose, a smashed cheekbone, broken ribs and severe internal bleeding during a violent altercation with Fullerton police, according to medical records released Wednesday.

The family of Kelly Thomas provided the medical records from UC Irvine Medical Center, where the mentally ill homeless man died five days after the violent clash at the Fullerton bus depot.

The records show the immediate cause of death was "brain death" due to "head trauma" from the incident.

To read the full story, click here.

Most wanted family violence suspects

Crime Stoppers of El Paso is asking for the media’s help in publicizing the persons listed below who have outstanding warrants for family violence assaults. If you are a victim of or a witness to family violence, report it immediately at 911.  Or you can call Crime Stoppers at 566-TIPS (566-8477) to report ongoing concerns.  You will remain anonymous, and you could receive a cash reward if your information proves useful in apprehending these offenders:

Agustin Saldana, 22.

Charge: Assault/Family Violence           

 

Tomas Corona, 30.

Charge: Assault/Family Violence

Blair Ness, 19

Charge: Assault/Family Violence           

 

Angel Ortega, 29

Charge: Assault/family violence

BOLO: Most wanted for family violence

Crime Stoppers of El Paso is asking for the media’s help in publicizing the persons listed below who have outstanding warrants for Family Violence assaults.  With your assistance, we can bring them to justice.

If you are a victim of or a witness to family violence, report it immediately at 911.  Or you can call Crime Stoppers at 566-TIPS (566-8477) to report on-going concerns.  You will remain anonymous, and you could receive a cash reward if your information proves useful in apprehending these offenders:

Jose Enriquez, 21

Gerardo Gutierrez, 39

Erika Martinez, 21

Gustavo Soriano, 35

BOLO: Family violence suspects

From Crime Stoppers of El Paso:

Crime Stoppers of El Paso is asking for the media’s help in publicizing the persons listed below who have outstanding warrants for Family Violence assaults.  With your assistance, we can bring them to justice.

If you are a victim of or a witness to family violence, report it immediately at 911.  Or you can call Crime Stoppers at 566-TIPS (566-8477) to report on-going concerns.  You will remain anonymous, and you could receive a cash reward if your information proves useful in apprehending these offenders:

Michael Crawford, 55

James Davis, 28

Phillip Gerber, 27

Rogelio Rivera, 60

BOLO: Most wanted family violence suspects

From Crime Stoppers of El Paso:

Crime Stoppers of El Paso is asking for the media’s help in publicizing the persons listed below who have outstanding warrants for Family Violence assaults.  With your assistance, we can bring them to justice.

If you are a victim of or a witness to family violence, report it immediately at 911.  Or you can call Crime Stoppers at 566-TIPS (566-8477) to report on-going concerns.  You will remain anonymous, and you could receive a cash reward if your information proves useful in apprehending these offenders:

Cruz Miranda, 27

 

 

 

 

Bobby Ochoa, 26

 

 

 

 

Luis Ornelas, 35

 

 

 

 

Joe Robles, 20