Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media platform: The Degel HaTorah party, which has four members in the Knesset, announces its withdrawal from Netanyahu's cabinet.
Local Syrian sources: The raids targeted the road between the village of Al-Mazra'a and the city of Sweida, where forces and factions affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defense are advancing.
Local Syrian sources: New raids carried out by Israeli warplanes targeted vehicles and gatherings of military factions affiliated with the new Syrian Ministry of Defense.
Local Syrian sources: Israeli raids target, for the third time, gatherings of Syrian Defense Forces military factions in the southern countryside of Sweida.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza: Gaza Strip hospitals received 120 martyrs and 557 wounded in the past 24 hours.
The Israeli Walla! website: We are running out of stockpiles, our forces are exhausted, and the lives of the captives are in danger. It is time for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Several wounded in an Israeli bombardment of a tent in al-Mawasi, south of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Three wounded, three killed in an ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli artillery shelling targets the outskirts of the town of Shebaa
Al-Qassam Brigades: The targeting took place at the intersection of 'Street 5' with the western line north of Khan Younis

100s of US police officers sexually abused minors, got away with it

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Washington Post
  • 12 Jun 2024 23:12
  • 4 Shares
4 Min Read

A Washington Post investigation has revealed that children in every state and the District of Columbia have been targeted, groomed, and violated by cops who are supposed to protect them.

Listen
  • x
  • Hundreds of police officers in US sexually exploited minors: WashPo
    A police officer watches demonstrators march during a protest on January 28, 2023, in New York. (AP)

A new Washington Post investigation discovered that hundreds of law enforcement agents in the United States sexually abused children in the last 20 years, while authorities at all levels of the criminal justice system failed to protect children, punish offenders, and prevent further crimes.

Botched background checks, a disregard for red flags, and mishandling of investigations have contributed to the issue, and accused police officers have used their legal skills to evade prosecution, reduce charges, or avoid conviction. Prosecutors have offered favorable plea agreements to cops who confessed to having raped and molesting minors, and judges have permitted several guilty cops to avoid jail.

Children in every state and the District of Columbia have been targeted, groomed, and violated by cops who are supposed to protect them.

To make matters worse, the incidents appear not to be isolated. Between 2005 and 2022, The Post identified at least 1,800 state and local law enforcement officials who were charged with offenses involving child sexual abuse.

Reporters spent more than a year combing through hundreds of court files, police records, and other documents to learn who these cops are, how they acquire access to minors, and what is — and isn't — being done to prevent them.

The Post also analyzed the country's largest database of police arrests, managed by Bowling Green State University, which collects news coverage about law enforcement arrests. Of the hundreds of thousands of sworn policemen in the country, only a small percentage are ever charged with a crime, and not all are covered by the media. 

From 2005 to 2022, Bowling Green identified around 17,700 state and municipal cops who were charged with crimes like physical assault, drunk driving, and drug possession. According to The Post, 1 out of every 10 cops was charged with a felony involving child sexual abuse.

This form of police wrongdoing has generally gone unnoticed by the public and unreported inside the criminal justice system. Some law enforcement officials admitted to The Post that more could have been done to bring accountability.

Children left with 'no one else to protect them'

Related News

Footage shows US police shoot dead unarmed Black woman after 911 call

2,000+ arrested in protests at US campuses as an officer fires gun

Assistant US Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads the Justice Department's section, expressed that the "heinous conduct" was intolerable, citing that officers who abused their authority had left young victims with "no recourse and no one else to protect them."

The majority of victims were female, with a median age of 14 years old. Almost three-quarters of them were adolescents who officers rarely had connections with. 

Police and court records demonstrate that abusive policemen routinely spent months befriending and grooming children with many using the fear of arrest or physical violence to coerce their victims.

After cops were charged with child sex offenses, several agencies attempted to distance themselves in media coverage by claiming that the alleged wrongdoing occurred while officers were off duty.

In Lake Wales, Fla., where three law enforcement personnel have been charged with offenses involving child sexual assault since 2005, Police Chief Chris Velasquez said such allegations must be handled seriously regardless of when or where the alleged misbehavior took place.

He asserted that the public saw police as law enforcement "regardless of whether we're on or off duty."

However, The Post discovered that in cases throughout the country, even if the abuse occurred when cops were off duty, they frequently encountered their victims on the clock.

When The Post examined the outcomes for around 1,500 cops accused of offenses involving child sexual assault between 2005 and 2020, nearly 40% of the police avoided jail time.

17% of the cops were not convicted, were acquitted by a jury, had their cases dropped, or, in some cases, reached a plea deal.

Of the cops convicted, 61% were condemned to state or federal prison, while 15% were sentenced to local jails. 24% received probation, fines, or community service. 52% of those convicted to jail or prison received sentences of five years or less.

Only 26% were sentenced to 5-15 years and 21% were sentenced to more than 15 years.

Officers frequently did not complete their entire sentences. The Post received jail dates for hundreds of policemen, and on average, they served around 63% of their sentences before being freed.

  • Washington Post
  • The Washington Post
  • US Police
  • Sexual abuse
  • sexual assault
  • sexual misconduct

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Al Mayadeen: UN Palestine Inquiry members reportedly resigned
Politics

Al Mayadeen: UN Palestine Inquiry members reportedly resigned

Rutte, Trump
US & Canada

Trump threatens 100% secondary tariffs on Russia, sets deadline

Syrian government soldiers on a motorcycle pass by a burning tank on the outskirts of Sweida city, where clashes erupted between the Druze community and Bedouine clans, in southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli airstrikes target Syrian military factions near Sweida

Lebanon, US, disarmament
MENA

US pressure on Lebanon grows over Resistance disarmament plan

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS