ANCHORAGE - Gov. Tony Knowles recently signed legislation protecting victims of sexual assault from being billed for tests to collect evidence of the crime, but one local police chief said the new law will further burden taxpayers.
The governor signed House Bill 270, sponsored by Rep. Eric Croft, D-Anchorage, outside the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) exam room at Alaska Regional Hospital. In attendance at the signing were members of victims advocate groups, law enforcement agencies and legislators.
The new law makes it illegal for any law enforcement agency to bill victims or victims insurance companies for the costs of examinations that take place to collect evidence of a sexual assault or determine if a sexual assault did occur.
We would never bill the victim of a burglary for fingerprinting and photographing the crime scene, or for the cost of gathering other evidence, Knowles said. Nor should we bill rape victims just because the crime scene happens to be their bodies.
While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.
Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon does not agree with the new legislation, saying the law will require the city and communities to come up with more funds to cover the costs of the forensic exams.
In the past weve charged the cost of exams to the victims insurance company when possible. I just dont want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer, Fannon said.
According to Fannon, the new law will cost the Wasilla Police Department approximately $5,000 to $14,000 a year to collect evidence for sexual assault cases.
Sarah Palin was the mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002. Mayor Palin fired police chief Irl Stambaugh, promoting Fannon as the new chief. On abortion, Palin is a hard-core pro-life proponent, even to the point of opposing abortion in cases of rape or incest. Palin opposes the use of birth control pills and condom use--even to married couples. Palin opposes sex education in public schools, while instead advocating abstinence-only education in schools. Why do I bring all this up? Because looking at Sarah Palin's record on abortion, birth control and sex education, I seriously wonder if Mayor Palin opposed the legislation banning victims from being charged for rape tests. Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon complains that the new legislation would raise taxes in Wasilla to pay for these sexual assault tests. Considering how vindictive Sarah Palin is to her political opponents, I doubt that Fannon would cross Palin with this statement, if Palin supported this legislation. So Fannon was reiterating Palin's opposition for making it illegal to have the state charge victims for rape tests. This is just another example of how Sarah Palin would love to turn back the clock on women's rights to...what...the 15th Century?
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