NJCASA’s executive director, Patricia Teffenhart, joined Comcast Newsmakers to discuss recently proposed legislation that would increase the amount of training law enforcement officers receive on responding to sexual violence.
“Sexual assault survivors are moving forward to seek the protections afforded to them by reporting to law enforcement,” Teffenhart said. “The Uniform Crime Reports over the past couple of years continually show an increased number of survivors reporting to law enforcement, which is a good thing. We want to make sure that those who are responding are the most well-trained and best able to help survivors get the services they need, but most importantly hold offenders accountable.”
Teffenhart also discussed the flexibility of the bill, allowing the Attorney General to set guidance on what the bi-annual training would include. Currently, officers only receive training on responding to sexual violence while in the Police Academy. Learn more about the proposed legislation here.
Watch more from the interview here:
