Crime

Arrests for rape jump 157 percent in Lewiston

by Brian Hanscom

Androscoggin County has become more dangerous for women according to the numbers in the recently released 1999 Maine Crime Statistics, which reported a 157 percent jump in arrests for forcible rape, jumping from 19 in 1998 to 49 in 1999.

Yet the numbers may be deceiving, and according to Rosanne Campbell, associate director for Sexual Assault Crisis Center in Lewiston, an increase in numbers of arrests could be the indication of a positive trend. "I think what we are seeing, from our perspective, is an increase in reporting as opposed to an actual increase in incidents," says Campbell.

Detective Brian O'Malley from the Lewiston Police Department agrees with the prognosis: "It's not like we have a serial rapist in Androscoggin County. A lot of the cases that I get are more along the lines of date rape, not so much the stranger to stranger. I have not seen an increase in that many cases."

One of the major reasons for the increase in reporting is the Sexual Assault Response Team, a program that SACC began about three and a half years ago, working with local police departments to increase the level of service to survivors of rape. "We have been working with local police departments -- Lewiston, Lisbon, Gray, and recently Auburn -- but Lewiston has been at the forefront," says Campbell.

Lieutenant David Chamberlain at the Lewiston Police Department has been very pleased with the level of service they have been able to provide to survivors. "With our partnership, they [SACC] have people who are specifically trained and we hook [the survivors] up with the SART officer, which helps both the victim and it also helps us by having them have someone to talk to, and the victim gets the follow up throughout the legal process. It's a win-win partnership."

Chamberlain and Campbell both agree that the key is reporting, but that can often be difficult because of the sensitivity of the crime, which has been one of the main concerns of the SART program. "By partnering, we try to make sure SART can convince someone that it is wise to report when they are reluctant to report," explains Chamberlain, "To have to talk with some stranger, it's an incredibly difficult thing. By pairing them up with the SART program, we try to ease the victim."

The Maine Crime Statistics Report is a sign that the effort has been succeeding. "Rape has been a very high-profile crime in the media in recent years and it is becoming increasingly easier for survivors to report rape," says Campbell, "The partnership has worked out beyond anyone's wildest dreams."