ILLINOIS
WLS
By Chuck Goudie
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
Sexual abuse victims in Illinois are expected to see a change in the way law enforcement responds to calls for help, the I-Team has learned.
New training procedures are being put in place for 911 operators, patrol officers and other responders — aimed at ensuring victims don’t suffer in silence — thanks to a new federal grant.
About 95 percent of sex crime victims never go to authorities, said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. From teenage boys molested at the hands of a trusted coach or big name politician to women who are date raped, they are often silent victims.
“The numbers are pathetic when it comes to people who actually come forward,” Madigan said.
Nearly 400 rapes are reported to police every month in Illinois, an astonishingly large number that at the same time is incredibly small because most victims don’t report the crime.
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