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Ferguson police say rape reports were coded to federal standards; chief promises records check after news article
Summary
Ferguson Township Police Chief Matthew Wilson told the board that the department "is correctly reporting rapes to the Uniform Crime Reporting System based on the federal definition," and said he will review records-management entries and provide documentation after a recent news article raised concerns about historical coding.
Ferguson Township’s police chief told the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 3 that the department reports sexual-assault offenses to the federal Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system according to federal definitions, and pledged to produce records showing when internal coding changes were made.
Chief Matthew Wilson said the department follows a multi-disciplinary sexual-assault response model and that case charging is determined by evidence and consultation with the district attorney’s office. “The Ferguson Township Police Department is correctly reporting rapes to the Uniform Crime Reporting System based on the federal definition,” Wilson said during the board presentation.
Why it matters: A recent Spotlight PA article prompted questions about whether some offenses were coded in a way that…
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