Prosecutor Notes Steps Taken in Sexual Assault Cases

COURT HOUSE — The day after his reappointment to another five-year term, Tue., Dec. 14, Cape May County Prosecutor Robert Taylor sought to address concerns that his office does not perform an adequate job prosecuting cases of sexual assaults and other crimes against women.
“I‘d like to respond to some objectors who claim that we don’t do an adequate job in investigating crimes against women and sexual assaults against women,” said Taylor in a telephone interview.
The S.A.N.E. (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) and S.A.R.T. (Sexual Assault Response Team) coordinator is based in Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Every S.A.R.T. activation, which is any claim of sexual assault against a child or adult, results in a S.A.N.E. nurse, a trained CARA (Coalition Against Rape and Abuse) volunteer, and a Sexual Assault Response Team law enforcement trained officer responding to that claim,” Taylor said.
“That claim — every claim — is then reviewed by Special Victims Unit Review Team. The team consists of a senior assistant prosecutor, frequently a woman prosecutor, a detective, the S.A.N.E. coordinator and a victim’s representative,” he continued.
“I hope the citizens of Cape May County realize that claims that these kinds of (sexual) crimes (specifically against women) are not thoroughly investigated are put to rest,” Taylor said.
There are approximately 65 Sexual Assault Response Team trained law enforcement officers in Cape May County, and they work with trained CARA volunteers to respond to these kinds of situations, the prosecutor stated.
In addition, Taylor noted those S.A.N.E. nurses have also undertaken the responsibility to make death pronouncements when the medical examiner is unavailable.
Click here to read the original story on Taylor’s reappointment.
Contact Campbell at (609) 886-8600 Ext 28 or at: al.c@cmcherald.com