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Federal funding slated for sexual assault investigations
Posted: Sunday, November 30, 2003
ANCHORAGE - Anchorage police would receive $2 million for sexual assault investigations under the appropriations bill pending in Congress.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she added the money to the bill in response to reports that the police department was understaffed and unable to investigate 23 percent of sexual assault cases. The figure came from an October report on the department that concluded Anchorage needs 93 more police officers.
Sexual assault victims go through enough pain and difficulty, Murkowski said. "To then find out the city has not budgeted to bring their assailants to justice is, in and of itself, criminal."