Palin's police chief fought to charge for rape exams

[Chris]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's hometown required women to pay for their own rape examinations while she was mayor, a practice her police chief fought to keep as late as 2000.

A former Alaskan lawmaker says it seems unlikely that Gov. Sarah Palin was unaware of Wasilla's policy.

Former state Rep. Eric Croft, a Democrat, sponsored a state law requiring cities to provide the examinations free of charge to victims. He said the only ongoing resistance he met was from Wasilla, where Palin was mayor from 1996 to 2002.

"It was one of those things everyone could agree on except Wasilla," Croft told CNN. "We couldn't convince the chief of police to stop charging them."

Alaska's Legislature in 2000 banned the practice of charging women for rape exam kits -- which experts said could cost up to $1,000.

Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, often talks about her experience running Wasilla, population approximately 7,000, and that has prompted close scrutiny of her record there. Wasilla's practice of charging victims for their rape exams while she was mayor has gotten wide circulation on the Internet and in the mainstream media.

Some supporters of Palin say they believe she had no knowledge of the practice. But critics call it "outrageous" and question Palin's commitment to helping women who are the victims of violence.

For years, Alaska has had the worst record of any state in rape and in murder of women by men. The rape rate in Alaska is 2.5 times the national average.

Palin's town charged women for rape exams - CNN.com

 

[AllieBaba]

The mayor really can't force police chiefs to do much.
Our police chief refused to remove domestic violence perps from the homes where they were pounding their women and kids. Instead, he'd make the victim and her kids leave the home until the (usually) drunk pigs sobered up. They refused to move men from homes that they had absolutely no claim to...not being on the rental agreement, and treated the victims as if they were crazy and hysterical morons (and of course, a woman who's being beaten or watching her kids be beat usually is pretty wound up) while at the same time refusing to attend the domestic violence trainings that all the state and county cops and DA's office were attending to better serve the community.

Our mayor wasn't a wife beater himself, and certainly wanted the chief to get some more training and train his cops. But there's only so much a mayor can do.

 

[HoleInTheVoid]

OMG!!! APLIN LIKES WOMEN BEING RAPED!!!!!

idiot

 

[del]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's hometown required women to pay for their own rape examinations while she was mayor, a practice her police chief fought to keep as late as 2000.

A former Alaskan lawmaker says it seems unlikely that Gov. Sarah Palin was unaware of Wasilla's policy.

Former state Rep. Eric Croft, a Democrat, sponsored a state law requiring cities to provide the examinations free of charge to victims. He said the only ongoing resistance he met was from Wasilla, where Palin was mayor from 1996 to 2002.

"It was one of those things everyone could agree on except Wasilla," Croft told CNN. "We couldn't convince the chief of police to stop charging them."

Alaska's Legislature in 2000 banned the practice of charging women for rape exam kits -- which experts said could cost up to $1,000.

Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, often talks about her experience running Wasilla, population approximately 7,000, and that has prompted close scrutiny of her record there. Wasilla's practice of charging victims for their rape exams while she was mayor has gotten wide circulation on the Internet and in the mainstream media.

Some supporters of Palin say they believe she had no knowledge of the practice. But critics call it "outrageous" and question Palin's commitment to helping women who are the victims of violence.

For years, Alaska has had the worst record of any state in rape and in murder of women by men. The rape rate in Alaska is 2.5 times the national average.

Palin's town charged women for rape exams - CNN.com

lose your place on the talking points? this was being pounded incessantly 2 weeks ago. try to keep up kirky.

 

[Jon]

Why should the government pay for people to be examed for rape? Some people lie, and they'd cost the government $1,000 for lying.

 

[strollingbones]

Why should the government pay for people to be examed for rape? Some people lie, and they'd cost the government $1,000 for lying.

then lets bill all victims for the crimnal investigation...if you have a family member murdered you should pay....if its fair for rape victims its fair for all victims, is it not?

why even fund police stations? let local victims support them..pay as you go.

 

[AllieBaba]

This is idiotic. Now I guess you'll be squawking that the ERs are refusing to perform rape exams because the women can't pay for them.

This is one of those things where they do the exam,then wait and see. If you get a conviction, I imagine it's part of the restitution the rapist pays.

Good grief. This is just so stupid. "Palin makes women pay for rape exams". What a bunch of crap.

 

[Navy1960]

http://www.cityofwasilla.com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=544

 

[AllieBaba]

You know they're too stupid to follow a link:

"A review of files and case reports within the Wasilla Police Department has found no record of sexual assault victims billed for forensic exams. State law AS 18.68.040, which was effective 8/14/2000, would have prohibited any such billings after that date.
Statistics for sexual assaults reported can be found in the police section of the City of Wasilla website at City of Wasilla : Crime Stats.
Thank you,
Mayor Dianne M. Keller"

 

[Angel Heart]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's hometown required women to pay for their own rape examinations while she was mayor, a practice her police chief fought to keep as late as 2000.

A former Alaskan lawmaker says it seems unlikely that Gov. Sarah Palin was unaware of Wasilla's policy.

Former state Rep. Eric Croft, a Democrat, sponsored a state law requiring cities to provide the examinations free of charge to victims. He said the only ongoing resistance he met was from Wasilla, where Palin was mayor from 1996 to 2002.

"It was one of those things everyone could agree on except Wasilla," Croft told CNN. "We couldn't convince the chief of police to stop charging them."

Alaska's Legislature in 2000 banned the practice of charging women for rape exam kits -- which experts said could cost up to $1,000.

Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, often talks about her experience running Wasilla, population approximately 7,000, and that has prompted close scrutiny of her record there. Wasilla's practice of charging victims for their rape exams while she was mayor has gotten wide circulation on the Internet and in the mainstream media.

Some supporters of Palin say they believe she had no knowledge of the practice. But critics call it "outrageous" and question Palin's commitment to helping women who are the victims of violence.

For years, Alaska has had the worst record of any state in rape and in murder of women by men. The rape rate in Alaska is 2.5 times the national average.

Palin's town charged women for rape exams - CNN.com

And what of Obama's state?

Rape Victims Can Be Hurt Financially, Too - On Health and Money (usnews.com)

But according to a 2004 bulletin published by the NCVC, “[F]eedback from the field indicates that sexual assault victims are still being billed.” Knecht says she’s recently heard from caseworkers in Illinois, Georgia, and Arkansas reporting that rape victims continue to be charged for their forensic exams

 

[Jon]

then lets bill all victims for the crimnal investigation...if you have a family member murdered you should pay....if its fair for rape victims its fair for all victims, is it not?

why even fund police stations? let local victims support them..pay as you go.

Murder victims don't lie. They're really dead.

How about this: people pay for their own rape kits, and if it turns out they were raped, they get their money back. People who lie are shit out of luck.

 

[OohRah Mama]

Compassionate Conservatism, folks - a joy to behold.

 

[Chris]

Why should the government pay for people to be examed for rape? Some people lie, and they'd cost the government $1,000 for lying.

Arguing that rape victims should have to pay for their own criminal investigations?

Amazing!

Is there no depth to which you will not go?

 

[Modbert]

Murder victims don't lie. They're really dead.

How about this: people pay for their own rape kits, and if it turns out they were raped, they get their money back. People who lie are shit out of luck.

With the current system we have?

People would be waiting months if not years for their money back.

 

[AllieBaba]

Arguing that rape victims should have to pay for their own criminal investigations?

Amazing!

Is there no depth to which you will not go?

Has that happened?
I don't think so. And nobody was arguing for it.
However, people bring false accusations all the time, and if someone is CONVICTED of filing a false report, I imagine they should be held accountable for the $$ spent in attempting to investigate a fraudulent report. It's called restitution. When you're convicted of a crime, there's generally some fines and restitution due.

 

[Jon]

Arguing that rape victims should have to pay for their own criminal investigations?

Amazing!

Is there no depth to which you will not go?

No, I'm arguing that people who claim they were raped and weren't shouldn't waste taxpayer's money.

 

[AllieBaba]

Of course they shouldn't. Besides, it's a crime to file a false police report. They should be held accountable.

 

[Ninja]

I'll bet this is one of the rumors that got started through Axelrod's astroturfing campaign against Palin.

How fitting it would be if the coming scandal ends up costing Hussein Obama the election

 

[Jon]

With the current system we have?

People would be waiting months if not years for their money back.

Why's that? It took the government a matter of weeks to send every taxpayer (and some non-taxpayers ) a refund.

 

[Diuretic]

Anyone know if Alaska has victims of crime compensation legislation?