Earlier this Summer, Cassie Payton contacted WPD to report her assailants after a violent sexual assault. It took two and a half weeks before the WPD detective assigned to her case examined the crime scene for evidence.
Payton’s detective referred to her as the perfect victim, she said, due to her cooperation throughout the case, and the grit she displayed while investigating her own assault.
But, unfortunately, police ended up not finding anything substantial to bring charges against her assailants, and eventually her case was closed after a prosecutor declined to pursue the case because of the lack of evidence, Payton told WHQR.
Payton said the department gave many reasons as to why it took so long to collect what evidence they could, however Payton is calling for the department to reform how they respond to sexual assault through her Change.org petition, which has gotten over 1,000 signatures so far.
Payton spoke with the detective assigned to her case, to find out what had delayed the collection of evidence.
“I asked him if there are any mandatory timelines for evidence collection, because I needed to know if our growth area is policy change or accountability. Unfortunately, in this circumstance both,” she told WHQR.
Payton’s petition calls on WPD to enact three systemic changes as improve the handling of sexual assault:
1. Mandatory Timelines for Evidence Collection: Require that crime scenes in sexual assault cases are examined within 48 hours of reporting and that identifiable perpetrators are contacted with the same urgency.
2. Victim-Centered Training: Implement mandatory trauma-informed training for all officers handling sexual assault cases to ensure physical and emotional safety for survivors.
3. Accountability Measures: Establish transparent procedures for investigating departmental delays in sexual assault cases.
WPD’s Public Information Officer Greg Willett wrote in an email that the department does not comment on cases involving sexual assault and can offer no comment on the petition itself.
Now, Payton is encouraging others to join her for a peaceful protest at the Wilmington Police headquarters, located at 615 Bess St., on Saturday, Dec 14 at 2 p.m.
