AP News, February 28th, 2007
Staffers at a school for the emotionally disturbed conducted their own investigation of a 13-year-old girl's rape claim and even tried to collect evidence before calling authorities, a police chief said Tuesday.
"I'm not certain it's criminal, but it's certainly not advisable," Mount Pleasant Police Chief Louis Alagno said. "They should be calling, notifying the police and calling in the professionals."
He said the school delayed calling police for nearly four hours after the Monday night attack at the Hawthorne-Cedar Knolls School in Hawthorne, about 25 miles north of New York City. Three teenage boys living at the school were charged as adults.
The Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, which operates the school, issued a statement saying it was investigating and cooperating with police, but it did not address the allegation of the delayed call. It said it would not discuss individual children.
Alagno, whose jurisdiction includes Hawthorne, said the girl was forced into a vacant school building about 7:30 p.m. She reported the attack to school staff right away, but police were not called until 11:30 p.m., he said.
"Staff members actually commenced their own investigation, including attempting to collect forensic evidence," Alagno said.
He did not say whether the delay or the staff investigation harmed the police investigation, but said he would take up the issue with school officials.
The Jewish Board's Web site says the school houses 104 boys and girls ages 8 to 18 who receive treatment, education and supervision for emotional problems. Children are referred by New York City and state agencies.
