After 30 years as a defense attorney reading police reports and working on Fort Collins Unlawful Sexual Contact and Sexual Assault cases, I’ve seen a consistent pattern of how bias impacts Fort Collins Police investigations of sex cases. Read about common steps taken by police to investigate accusations – they still hold true.
Larimer County Bias Police Investigations of Unlawful Sexual Contact and Sexual Assault
- First, a child or young woman’s family makes a call to Fort Collins police or a girl speaks to a teacher about her allegations. Normally, the girl has been in trouble for something, and wants to divert attention away from herself. Regardless, no social worker or police officer ever reports that the child or woman is in trouble or may have a motive for making a false report.
- Police then send out a patrol officer to get a basic report; they might also have DHS / Social Services come and coddle the reporting party. No one ever considers that the person might be lying.
- A police investigator is assigned to the case and gets together with the young woman to get more of the story, and go a little deeper.
Rule #1: Kids Don’t Lie in a Forensic Interview in Fort Collins Sexual Assault Cases
- When a child is telling the story, the detective and Larimer County DHS will operate under the premise that kids never lie about a Sexual Assault story – cops can get fired for that. So, they set up a forensic interview for the child. Here, softball questions are given to the kid where she is asked easy questions such as “tell me what happened.” After this, questions such as, “what happened next” are presented. The rule is that a child is never challenged on the impossibility of their story. They are supported no matter what they say. “Support the child” is the only rule. After all, a child’s allegation gives the police and the forensic interviewer their job. Without kids telling stories, they’d have no income.
- The detective will try and talk to anyone who will support the child’s accusation. Police will ignore anyone who opposes what the young woman or child is saying. We’ve even had cases where DAs have told witnesses to stop sending them evidence which might hurt the case.
Pretext Call by Fort Collins Police to the Accused – What is a Pretext Call?
- The Fort Collins Police Detective will set up a pretext call, where the accuser will call the accused and pretend they are having a normal conversation. Cops feed the woman or teenager statements where they try and get the accused to admit they did something wrong. Police even use a fake caller ID to make it appear that the woman or child is calling from their own cell phone. They are really at the police station on a recorded line.
Bias Police Interviews in Larimer County Criminal Cases of Unlawful Sexual Contact
- The Larimer County detective then tries to speak with the man or boy being accused of Unlawful Sexual Contact, either by phone or in person. They sometimes ask the man to come to the police station, where he is questioned. Based on our Miranda law, the police will make sure to inform the man that he can leave at any time and is not under arrest.
- After being interviewed, the man is arrested if he said anything harmful either in his interview or in the pretext interview. He is then brought to court for his bond and advisement hearing on Unlawful Sexual Contact or Sexual Assault charges.
Bias Rules the Loveland and Fort Collins Police Operate Under in Sexual Assault Cases
- No physical evidence is needed for the Loveland and Fort Collins Police. Sexual Assault charges will be filed solely on the word of a girl or woman.
- Investigators are not concerned with the truth of what occurred or did not occur. Police only want to do their job and not risk anyone saying they failed to “support” an alleged victim. Even if the woman has lied before, that is not an issue. “Support the accuser and keep your job,” is the unwritten rule.
- Tough questions during interviews with kids and women “victims,” can get an officer fired. It makes it appear that they are not supporting their “victim.” Asking something like, “how could this happen with your friend sitting next to you,” can hurt the officer’s career.
- Larimer County Deputies and police often try and trick boys and men into a confession with tools like a pretext call or outright lies. I once had a trial where the detective admitted he lied to the accused about having a witness, when he did not have one. On the stand, he said, “police are allowed to lie.”
- Cops wait to make an arrest until they’ve tried talking to the accused. They know that once they arrest someone, their chances of getting incriminating statements go way down.
- Regardless of a lack of evidence, Police will outwardly express total support for a child or woman making an allegation. Detectives are scared of potential criticism by a feminist or victim’s rights group if they don’t offer full support.
Men are Greatly Disadvantaged in Larimer County Court Sexual Assault and Unlawful Sexual Assault Cases
Men must understand that the deck is always STACKED AGAINST them and that they need to shut up. It is childish to think that officers are looking for the truth and that if men will just “cooperate” the officer will let them off. Allegations of Sexual Assault and Unlawful Sexual Contact in Larimer County are for the life of the man or boy. Men and boys will be arrested and there is no truth-seeking process. Politics leaves officers running scared and the safest thing to do for their careers is the make an arrest and let the District Attorney’s Office decide whether to prosecute. Men must stop trying to convince police of their innocence, since their statements are ALWAYS used against them.
For over 30 years, our criminal defense attorneys have been defending men accused of Unlawful Sexual Contact and Sexual Assault in Larimer County by girls and young women. Call our defense lawyers when you have a possible life sentence hanging over your head. We can go to the Larimer County Jail to visit those accused of serious crimes. Together, we can protect your future.
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