Cops Were Slacking as Woman Got Raped

attachments/nyc_daveh/vandyke.jpg Surveillance video shows that two rookie police officers were not patrolling a Brooklyn housing complex where a 30-year-old woman was raped in a stairwell last week. The two officers were disciplined for lying about doing their jobs, when in fact they were not. The victim of the assault was trailed from the subway by a man she recognized from the neighborhood and he followed her into her building's elevator. After producing a knife as she stepped off the elevator, he dragged the woman into a stairwell and threatened to kill her if she resisted or didn't stop screaming. He then raped her on a stairwell landing.

The officers, who have been stripped of their guns and badges and placed on modified duty, claimed that they were on patrol in the building's stairwells and had logged the patrols in their notebooks. Review of the building's numerous surveillance cameras provided no sign that the police were ever in the stairwell as the woman was being attacked. The rape lasted approximately 30 minutes.

The woman, who said she has lived in the Van Dyke Houses her whole life, told The New York Times that she blamed the police for not being around when they were really needed. She also complained about the physical condition of the buildings, such as a broken entranceway door that allowed anyone to come or go in and out of the building.

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By Dave Hogarty in News on March 15, 2008 9:10 AM

Comments [rss]

Spirit of 76

You guys need to understand that "Albert Sharpton" is nothing more than a troll. He wants you to get riled up and you're playing right into his hands when you get outraged. Ignore him, now and forever. Post your own points and arguments, but never directly address him or his fake "viewpoints." It's all a play for attention. Don't give it to him.

I've dealt with enough police officers to know most of them are just on the job as long until they can collect their pensions. I could tell you some doozies of horror stories about what kind of intellects we entrust society's safety and security to. If they were rocket scientists, they'd be, well... rocket scientists, instead.

kearnj

I wasn't saying she deserved to be raped, but rather why live in the projects for your whole life and be unsafe? Why settle for something so low?
Some people don't strive to be the best, they just strive to survive. In this case she could have been killed just as easily.

JacqueMehoff

This young woman was raped for half an hour,

have some decency for once.

I'll withhold comment on the privileges of being a certain group for later.

fakenewyorker

You people need to get lives or at least give alcoholism a shot, especially Albert Sharpton.

ixvnyc

Stop blaming the victim - she's been through enough.

Yeah Jen, like you don't understand how unmoderated comments section brings out hateful and ignorant comments.

I blame you for allowing all the victim blamers access to public through your unmoderated site.

ixvnyc

I wasn't saying she deserved to be raped, but rather why live in the projects for your whole life and be unsafe? Why settle for something so low?

Because her parents were poor and didn't know better and did not take good care for her. She had a lousy start and by the time she became old enough to figure things out on her own it was too late to catch up. No education, no skills, maybe even a baby or two at home.

You on the other hand, were probably born into situation good enough that you never had to learn what it really means to be born into poverty, crime, and dispear. This is why you are so puzzled and confused and don't know what to make of the projects. All you know is how to buy an iPhone and how to order at Starbucks. Good for you, but remember: not everyone was lucky enough to actually be loved by their parents.

Steven

The cops are to blame for her being raped and it's unfortunate they weren't doing their job instead of fooling around.

I wasn't saying she deserved to be raped, but rather why live in the projects for your whole life and be unsafe? Why settle for something so low?

JDSX

I don't agree with the user Sharpton's comment but your call for censorship disgusts me more. Grow up.

pik

i can't believe that Albert Sharpton's comment is allowed to remain up, while my comment regarding grammar was deleted. SHAME ON YOU GOTHAMIST.

aggie

Are you guys kidding me? Some of you are insinuating that somehow this woman deserved it because she lives in the projects.

If you want to talk about feeding off of the government, let's look at cops who are being paid to keep communities safe and are somehow nowhere to be found when shit actually hits the fan.

Jen Chung

Seriously, do you think this woman wanted to live in city housing where she feels unsafe? Stop blaming the victim - she's been through enough.

There's no telling that the cops' patroling would have definitely stopped her attack, but their lying is reprehensible.

Polite New Yorker

There is no excuse for these officers. I hope they lose their jobs. This woman would have had a chance to defend herself if she had a gun. Sadly, New York City's laws on carrying firearms are among the strictest in the U.S. Self defense is a civil right.

Steven

"The woman, who said she has lived in the Van Dyke Houses her whole life"

You'd think she would EVENTUALLY want to leave the projects and do something better for yourself. Instead these people feed off our government because it's much easier to do than actually getting an education.

Albert Sharpton

Some women need to be raped to know what's good for them. Looking at where she lived, she was probably fat, gapped toothed and had 4 kids already.

Rfive

The projects are grim. Largely its uneducated, poor, minority, and often large foreigner population that live there for years, and are they are policed by worst of the finest, who are paid $25K to start.

Doesn't look good for the city...