Increasing just responses to sexual assault requires understanding how police perceive sexual assault cases and victims, and which legal (e.g., evidence), extralegal (e.g., suspect characteristics), and practical (e.g., convictability) concerns influence their responses in these cases. Using interview data collected in the Los Angeles Sexual Assault Study, we qualitatively analyzed 611 comments made by 52 detectives in response to questions about case processing decisions (e.g., what it takes to arrest) to examine the factors detectives described as relevant to their assessments of allegations as legitimate, victims as credible, and cases as chargeable. Results revealed overlap between rape myths and legal, extralegal, and practical concerns. Specifically, comments referenced rape myths in relation to suspect blameworthiness and dangerousness, evidence, victim cooperation, and prosecutors’ decisions. Comments also revealed some detectives lacked knowledge of relevant legal statutes and case processing guidelines (e.g., unfound criteria). These results suggest that sexual assault case attrition stems from an orientation to prosecutors’ charging criteria rather than probable cause, and organizational factors, such as deprioritization of sex crimes investigations. We recommend that departments adequately staff and equip sex crimes units with investigatory resources and prioritize sex crimes investigations over non-violent crimes. Departments should incentivize sex crimes assignments and screen applicants for quality, experience, and bias. Detectives in these units should undergo regular trainings on unfounding and probable cause criteria and should be required to make arrests when they have probable cause to do so.

增加对性侵犯的公正反应需要了解警方如何看待性侵犯案件和受害者，以及哪些法律（例如，证据）、法外（例如，嫌疑人特征）和实际（例如，可定罪性）问题影响他们在这些案件中的反应。使用在洛杉矶性侵犯研究中收集的访谈数据，我们定性分析了 52 名侦探针对案件处理决定（例如，如何逮捕）提出的 611 条评论，以检查侦探所描述的与其评估相关的因素。指控是合法的，受害者是可信的，案件是可起诉的。结果揭示了强奸神话与法律、法外和实际问题之间的重叠。具体来说，评论提到了与可疑的责任和危险性有关的强奸神话，证据、受害者合作和检察官的决定。评论还显示，一些侦探缺乏相关法律法规和案件处理指南（例如，未找到的标准）的知识。这些结果表明，性侵犯案件流失源于对检察官指控标准而非可能原因的导向，以及组织因素，例如对性犯罪调查的优先考虑。我们建议各部门为性犯罪部门配备足够的人员并配备调查资源，并将性犯罪调查优先于非暴力犯罪。各部门应激励性犯罪任务并筛选申请人的质量、经验和偏见。