NYPD Special Victims Unit Faces Gender-Biased Policing Probe By DOJ

NEW YORK CITY — Years of accusations that NYPD special victims shamed, disrespected and abused survivors of sexual abuse prompted a federal Department of Justice investigation, officials said Thursday.

The probe into the long-embattled Special Victims Division will delve into whether detectives had a pattern or practice of gender-biased policing, Justice Department officials said.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said officials for months have learned "concerning information" about sex crime investigations.

"Our review is intended to ensure that, going forward, survivors of sexual assault in New York City receive fair and just treatment in the criminal justice system, and as a result, those who engage in sexual violence are held accountable," he said in a statement.

Max Young, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, said city officials have already begun the process to address long-standing problems with the division.

"We welcome this review, will cooperate fully in this investigation, and will continue to take all steps necessary to ensure we fix problems that have been decades in the making," he said in a statement.

The probe comes on the heels of a recent study by Research Triangle Institute International that noted significant shortcomings by NYPD special victims detectives, including that they struggle to interview and arrest rape suspects, even after most have been identified in the vast majority of cases.

Another damning study by the city's Department of Investigation faulted the special victims unit for issues with understaffing, among other problems.

And a recent lawsuit by the division's former commander sued former NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea over accusations that Shea torpedoed his career in retaliation for speaking out about the department's failure to adequately investigate sex crimes, court records show.

"Serious and pervasive flaws" impacted the unit, the lawsuit contended.

The DOJ probe itself is centered on deficiencies with the unit that have existed for more than a decade, officials said. Those deficiencies included failing to conduct basic investigative steps and instead shaming and abusing survivors, as well as re-traumatizing them during investigations, they said.