Wasilla Police Billed Sexual Assault Victims for Their Own Rape Kits

[katandmoon]

Source: http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2000/05/23/news.txt

The governor signed House Bill 270, sponsored by Rep. Eric Croft, D-Anchorage, outside the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) exam room at Alaska Regional Hospital. In attendance at the signing were members of victims advocate groups, law enforcement agencies and legislators.


*
The new law makes it illegal for any law enforcement agency to bill victims or victims insurance companies for the costs of examinations that take place to collect evidence of a sexual assault or determine if a sexual assault did occur.



<snip>



While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.

Read more: http://opedna.com/2008/09/08/wasilla-police-billed-sexual-assault-victims-for-rape-kits/

---

The site I linked to links to the actual Frontiersman article and has some good commentary as well.

[True_Blue]

1. OMG!

Unbelievable!:mad:

[Crowman1979]

2. No fuckin shame from this bitch!

Looks like we can't find enough reasons to not vote for McCain.

[Canuckistanian]

3. Why is Palin pro-rape?

There must be a Rape lobby in Juneau.

First, she says that she would not condone an abortion for her own daughter in case of rape.

Now this.

[wellst0nev0ter]

4. Hell, At This Point She Could Be A Member Of A Swingers Club

it looks like NOTHING will sway the knuckledraggers from Double-X Cheney.

[Zhade]

27. Don't insult swingers by comparing them to this Nazi.

NT!

[uppityperson]

5. 2 other GD threads on it... Didn't start it, but didn't stop it either

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=post&forum=389&topic_id=3952510&mesg_id=3952510
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3950649&mesg_id=3950649
Reading through them, it was going on before she was mayor, but looks like she didn't stop it.

[clear eye]

11. Doesn't the OP say that she did stop it by signing that bill?

I don't think this is any good for us.

[musikate]

14. You're wrong. This is VERY good for us.

Tony Knowles, the Republican Governor, signed the bill; Palin had nothing to do with it. While most cities around her would not charge the victims, Wasilla, whose police chief was hired by Palin, did. There is a quote in there from that police chief saying that he does not support the new state law because it will cost Wasilla residents more tax dollars.

There is no getting out of this one; it is devastating to Palin's reputation as pro-woman (as if!).

[noonwitch]

18. This is good clarification, because I thought the same thing

If she's the governor and she signed the bill, how does that make her look bad. I assume that Tony Knowles is the previous governor?

[clear eye]

19. So you're saying that the whole time she was mayor (1996-2002)

her personally selected police chief was charging raped women for the kit? Because the state law forbidding it wasn't signed until 2005? And she ran up a large debt for that small town while raising taxes on the residents? And the village council pressured her into hiring an administrator to handle most of Wasilla's business because she kept losing her temper and firing necessary village personnel? This stuff really needs to become an ad.

I can picture a full-screen image of a loose cannon.

[clear eye]

23. BTW, Tony Knowles ia a Democrat, don'cha know n/t

[uppityperson]

20. No, she did not. The previous Gov did while she was mayor

[John Q. Citizen]

6. Do the cops in Wasilla bill banks that are robbed for mileage?

[IndianaGreen]

7. GAWD approves of rape

Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them."

Genesis 19:6-8

[mbperrin]

8. Seems fair, considering that they were

all ASKING for it! Right?

Do I REALLY need a sarcasm tag?

[Proud-D]

9. How many poor women and girls had to pay for a kit wile she was mayor?

A thought that really pisses me off is what if a girl decided to not even bother to report her rape because she cant afford the kit! This is wrong on so many levels!
This should sink her. You know Biden is going to find out about this and when he does she will rue the day she ever stepped into the national spotlight! Joe is going to tell the truth and make them think its hell!!!!

[True_Blue]

10. I can't wait to see her try to debate Biden

Welcome to DU Proud-D!:hi:

[Proud-D]

13. Thanks for the welcome!

I dont know if anyone is still on this thread. But I just wanted to let you guys know that I finally got through on C-SPAN today!!! first time in years of trying. I was the second to last caller and I brought this up. I knew I did not have much time to get my point across and I was nervous! Id love to hear what you guys thought if you heard me. :)

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. The point is not to make them pay...the point is to de-incentivize them from pressing charges

...

[kestrel91316]

33. Exactly. I heard she did this so she could claim rape statistics

went down while she was mayor.

Fucking bitch.

[Tempest]

17. Just one according to an article I read

But the kits run about $1,000.

Talk about adding insult to injury.

[Zombie2]

12. Disgusting!

It's only going to get worse.

Unless.......................

:dem::patriot::applause:Obama:applause:Obama:applause:Obama:applause::patriot::dem:

[Buenaventura]

16. the Cheka charged for the bullet ...

[WHAT]

21. kits should be free, but so should...

dna testing for accused. Because there can be manipulation on the part of the accuser as well. I think they must spend the money in order to know the facts in order to come closer to justice.

justice based on facts, all the way 'round, IMHO.

(doesn't have to do w/Palin, per se, but policy in law enforcement...
2cents

[MissMillie]

22. Yeah, this is a horrible thing... but it has nothing to do w/ Palin

check the by-line

***********************************************


JO C. GOODE / The Frontiersman / May 23, 2000


ANCHORAGE - Gov. Tony Knowles recently signed legislation protecting victims of sexual assault from being billed for tests to collect evidence of the crime, but one local police chief said the new law will further burden taxpayers.

[clear eye]

24. I know it's confusing but it has to do with when she was mayor

in Wasilla (1996-2002). So while other nearby localities didn't charge for the rape kits, her police dept. did on the grounds that it saved taxpayers money. She personally appointed that police chief and let it go on w/o objection for 4 years.

[MissMillie]

25. I guess the confusing thing is that

you have for the "source" the link to where the other governor signed the bill... not to the story that says other municipalities didn't charge but Wasilla did.

I apologize for misunderstanding, but I think it was an understandable mistake.

[clear eye]

31. I'm not the OPer, and I was confused as well

So I hope folks find it understandable.

[rcsl1998]

26. .

[Zhade]

28. Horrifying. Someone should sue until these assholes are black and blue.

NT!

[Festivito]

29. Palin's food bill would have paid five years of rape victims.

Or at least three busy years.

[VeggieTart]

30. Could she possibly be any more anti-woman?

Good gravy, what a nut job! And I don't believe for one second it's about the taxpayers, but about not giving a shit about rape victims for whatever reason.

I personally think Plan B should be a part of every rape kit, and no, you can't refuse to give it to the victim on grounds of "conscience." The woman sitting on the gurney scared shitless is far more important than the chance she might have an egg floating down her fallopian tubes waiting for some criminal's sperm. Conservative heads exploding in 3...2...1....

And it really pisses me off when people who oppose abortion on grounds of rape say we shouldn't punish the "father" by killing "his" child. Uh, hello, this isn't about punishing the sperm donor, who probably doesn't give a shit if his victim gets pregnant. It's about not further traumatizing a crime victim by forcing her into motherhood with a child who will be a constant reminder of said trauma.

[crossroads]

32. This is just like being raped twice! nt

[XemaSab]

34. OUTRAGEOUS!

:o

[neverforget]

35. This news story would make an excellent commercial.

Rape kit: $300-$1200
Trauma: incalculable
Pregnant? Palin says tough shit

[The Sushi Bandit]

36. Wasilla Rape Victims Billed when Palin was Mayor

Source: The Associated Press, Current TV

When Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, the city billed sexual assault victims and their insurance companies for the cost of rape kits and forensic examinations.

Palin had been in office for four years when the practice of charging rape victims got the attention of state lawmakers in 2000, who passed a bill to stop the practice.

Former Democratic Rep. Eric Croft, who sponsored that bill, said he was disappointed that simply asking the Wasilla police department to stop didn't work. Croft said he doubts Palin was unaware of the practice.

Lawmakers became involved in 2000 when reports began coming in that police departments were charging sexual assault victims for the kits and the forensic exams, which cost from $300 to $1,200 at the time. The kit, a package of sample containers, swabs and other medical supplies, is used to collect evidence from women after they are attacked.

Then-Gov. Tony Knowles said Thursday that Wasilla was unique in the state in charging rape victims for the cost of doing the law enforcement necessary for solving the crime.

Read more: http://current.com/items/89300113_wasilla_rape_victims_billed_when_palin_was_mayor

[Swede]

37. IThe MSM seems to be catching onto this stuff..

It's about time,this is their only job.

[msongs]

38. been on du for a week now nt