The year was 1992 when I was a homeless drug addict coupled with a mental illness. Two law enforcement officers, one with the Albany Police Department and one with Linn County Sheriff’s Office knew of my disorders and pursued me, eventually leading to a sexual assault. An internal investigation was performed and I was found to be “not credible.” This begs the question of how many women in positions of oppression have been violated by these two law enforcement officers?
Because I was a homeless addict, nobody believed me. This resulted in a distrust of police and trauma from the assault. It sickens me that these two individuals used their position of authority to carry out an unimaginable crime and one that I believe was covered up by both APD and LCSO.
I have been in therapy for years, following the assault and I am still, to this day, afraid of people working in a law enforcement setting. I will not release the names of the two individuals who did this to me, but do want people to know that corruption in the system is a real and true thing.
One of the individuals resigned after someone else made an allegation against him. The other went on to be promoted in his field of work. Why do I bring this up? Because I believe I was not the only one who was targeted. I was too unwell to be an advocate for myself. My husband stood beside me through it all. He knew I was telling the truth and saw the effects that the assault had on me.
I did report the assault about a week after it happened. I was taken to the Oregon State Mental Hospital by the Albany Police Department around that time. Though I was suffering meth-induced psychosis, the facts of the matter were still true.
I have lived my entire adult life fearing the police, though I embraced recovery in 1992 and have a stable life. My husband still stands with me as I relive this trauma often even after all these years.
Last year, the Linn County District Attorney reviewed the case but I was told the statute of limitations had passed. I don’t know if the DA believed me or not, but sadly, there would ultimately be no consequences for the two men that knew nobody would believe a homeless addict.
All this to say, we wonder why there is a mistrust of police while living on the streets. My story could certainly not be the only one where police brutality and/or assaults occur. I do have a healthy respect for our law enforcement agencies, however, it does not change the fact that my life was forever altered by two bad players. If a homeless person claims to have been mistreated by police, I think society as a whole needs to listen and believe them. My story is likely not all that unique.
To sum it up, our homeless population, especially women on the streets, have good reason why not to trust law enforcement. This should not be but sadly, I think the 2% of “bad players” who have chosen to be cops are likely still getting away with crimes that will go unreported.
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