Bill Outlawing Sexual Contact While In Custody Moves Forward
"In an ideal world, we would not need to create a law that makes it illegal for a member of law enforcement to have sex with a person in their custody and completely at their mercy."
(MADISON) – Today, the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety held a public hearing on Senate Bill 104, prohibiting law enforcement officers from having sexual contact with persons under their custody. Author of the bill, Senator Taylor (D-Milwaukee) gave impassioned testimony about the case of Anna Chambers, an 18-year-old from Brooklyn who was raped inside of a police van while under the custody of two NYPD detectives. Although the officers were charged with rape, a “consensual sex” defense was offered and the officers were acquitted. At the time, New York had no law barring sexual contact between a subject in custody and the officers involved.
Taylor became familiar with the case in 2017 and quickly learned that Wisconsin also had no law that made sexual contact between law enforcement and persons under their custody illegal. Following today’s press conference, Senator Taylor issued the following statement:
“In an ideal world, we would not need to create a law that makes it illegal for a member of law enforcement to have sex with a person in their custody and completely at their mercy. Unfortunately, this is no ideal world and the inappropriate actions of a few demand this legislation.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by State Sen. Lena Taylor
Taylor Statement on Off-Duty Officer Shooting
Jan 13th, 2022 by State Sen. Lena TaylorState Senator and Milwaukee Mayoral Candidate Lena Taylor statement