I wish we had believed Mariah* from the start. It might have changed everything.
Will you make a special year-end gift to help ensure survivors are believed when they reach out for help?
Thanks to a generous gift from a small group of donors, every donation made by December 31st will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $12,900.
Mariah’s case still haunts me. She was a first-year nursing student who met Kevin at a friend’s party. They chatted, and Kevin was good listener. He seemed like a nice guy.
When he offered to give her a ride home, she accepted. But instead of taking Mariah to her house, Kevin drove to a deserted parking lot where he raped her. Then he left her there.
Trembling and crying, Mariah called 911 for help. A detective on my squad responded to the scene and interviewed her. In the end, the detective said she just didn’t believe Mariah’s story.
Our department dropped the case. Mariah was devastated—she withdrew from nursing school and moved away.
A few months later, multiple women reported being raped by a stranger. When the DNA analysis came back, each of these cases matched Kevin, Mariah’s rapist. If we had believed Mariah and worked her case properly, we could have prevented these other rapes. And we could have helped Mariah start her healing journey.
YOU can change outcomes for survivors like Mariah.
It costs just $49 to give one law enforcement officer the skills to understand trauma and conduct effective investigations.
Mariah’s detective didn’t have the training she needed to help survivors—most police officers don’t. But you can help change that. Will you help survivors like Mariah today with a special year-end gift? Your impact is DOUBLED when you give by December 31st:
$25 becomes $50—your gift trains 1 police officer
$50 becomes $100—your gift trains 2 police officers
$100 becomes $200—your gift trains 4 police officers
Imagine how differently things would have gone if Mariah’s detective had the training and skills to know what trauma looked like—if she started every interview by believing survivors.
I know you care. Will you give today to help survivors like Mariah? With your gift you are changing lives.
With deepest gratitude,
Detective Rick Salcedo
*Survivor’s name and image have been changed for privacy.