Justice Department investigating NYPD Special Victims Division over concerns of ‘gender-biased policing’

The Justice Department says it is investigating the NYPD's Special Victims Division to assess whether it "engages in a pattern or practice of gender-biased policing."

"Survivors of sexual assault should expect effective, trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations by police departments," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. "Based on information provided to the Justice Department, we find significant justification to investigate whether the NYPD’s Special Victims Division engages in a pattern or practice of gender-biased policing. 

The Justice Department says it has "received information alleging deficiencies at SVD that have persisted for more than a decade, depriving survivors and the public of the prompt, thorough and effective investigations needed to protect public safety.