Complaint Review: Palm Bch County Sheriff's Office - West Palm Beach Florida

Dear Virginia of Palm Beach, I'm sure you mean well and maybe you really believe that all cases are reviewed by the Florida District Attorney's office. That is an untrue statement! Detective Rick Salcedo of the Orlando Police Department's Sex Crime Unit said he could not refer my case to the DA because he did not have substantial evidence to back up the case. (He only had a sex kit, DNA including semen and a public hair from the accused, and photographs ... poor guy. His job is so tough!) It was just "too much paperwork" and Det. Salcedo could not see that his workforce needed to "waste time" on such a thing as a date rape. "Rough sex isn't against the law," Det. Salcedo told me. And poor Salcedo was afraid the man would sue the police department. After all, the man had money and I did not. I couldn't sue. Want proof? Ask my therapist. It is all documented and most remarkable, it was paid for by the State of Florida's Victim's Advocacy Fund. Unfortunately, I did not receive compensation for my month of lost wages because the state funded mental health agency didn't fill out the proper paperwork. And the Advocacy wouldn't take my therapist's word for it. And I couldn't afford to go to another doctor. Not only was I evicted, but me and my 9 year old son spent almost two months of being homeless and sleeping on someone's couch and living in a hotel because my landlord evicted me. Even though I had always been on time with my rent in the past and she even wrote a letter to the State Attorney's office explaining that I was late on my rent. So the landlord knew of my situation and still evicted me. Got to have that rent money before the end of the next month, you know. The almight $ always comes first. So, your sympathy may indeed be sincere, Virginia, but it doesn't help at all. Do not judge lest ye be judged. Sincerely,

I totally understand what the victim is going through. The same thing happened to me in Orlando, FL when I filed a report of date rape. I called the police, underwent the trauma of detailing the sexual assault many times, was examined in the nude, did the sex rape kit, and was even finger printed by the sex crimes investigator. But the rapist was not even questioned much less finger printed. I had bruises on my legs and arms and a "skid mark" in my vagina which were photographed. (A "skid mark" is the same kind of wound that comes from giving childbirth.) I now have panic attacks and nightmares, over a year after the assault took place. All the rapist simply had to do was say he did have sex with me, but I liked rough sex. He lied! NOTHING ABOUT GIVING CHILDBIRTH OR GETTING BRUISES IS SEXUALLY PLEASURABLE! I was raped yet again by the justice system. There are too many men that get away with rape because they know all they have to say is "yes, I had sex with her" and they aren't even arrested. They don't even to go to the police department and be questioned. Yet the victims are victimized again. Where is the justice in that?

May I please start off by saying that I am very sorry to read what happened to you with the rape. No human should ever have to go through that nor should someobe think that they have the right to do such a horrendous thing to a person! I am an employee of the PBSO. I work in a unit that takes reports from the public over the phone. On a daily basis myself and my coworkers talk to people that only tell part of the story so that the report will sound worse OR give us only the parts that they want to tell us and it hurts their report. The reason that I say this is that upon reading your Ripoff Report, and after re-reading it, I was left with you didn't tell the "whole" story. I personally know the male and female detectives that work in the agency and know them to be very thorough. They do not want a rapist to be allowed to roam the streets having the ability to rape again. I also know that none of us can or would be able to make a State Atty. do what we say to or not to do. The State Atty's office read all reports, your account of the events, the suspects side and all that the detective gleaned though his own investigation. The State Atty is the deciding vote on how a case will develop. The State Atty tells the detective "O,K, you have something here, let's file for warrents & let's charge the suspect". OR the detective was told "You have nothing substantial here to make a case or even think of a formal charge against the suspect." The detective let the State Atty kno, by reports taken, interviews with you and the suspect and from those that may have something to add, if they had witnessed anything before the incident to shed more light onto & into the detectives investigation. Also to listen to other's in the community say that "...especially the Sheriff's Office is known for their male chauvenistic and unjustified actions against victims of crime, especially women" is a untrue. Were all of the people that you spoke to victims of rape with the exact same circumstances and victimization that you had? To even get into a detective unit they must prove to the higher ups, by interviews along with others wanting the same position. They MUST prove, by past performance in the position they sit in at that present time and prove what they would & will bring to the unit. If and when chosen for the unit they are then sent to specialized training classes, seminars, etc. They must keep up on current investigative procedures. Yes, sometimes, as a human, mistakes can & do happen...but from what I read here tonight you didn't tell anyone reading it any where near a complete story. Noone wants you to have to revictimizze yourself by reliving the horrific details of the crime committed against you, but if you are going to attempt to shine a negative light on the Detectives of PBSO you might want to tell the whole story in relation to your dealings with them. You left out way too much information. Again, I am sorry for what you went through with the slime that hurt you. I do hope that life has been kinder to you and only wish you the best in life.