Rapes up in Durham, but older reports part of increase

Acting Captain Stephen Vaughan, who oversees the Durham Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division, said there's no evidence of a serial rapist in the city, and most cases involve an attacker that the victim already knows, such as a partner, an acquaintance or someone met through a dating app.

Vaughan also said part of this year's jump is due to people now coming forward to report incidents from their past.

"We even just had one last week that was from 26 years ago," he said Monday. "It’s awareness with coming out [and] people being willing to talk. Sometimes they find out about things, or they made contact with the Durham Crisis Response Center."

Teneisha Towe, director of counseling services at the response center, said the isolation caused by the coronavirus pandemic might have forced more people to seek help for old traumas that have festered over time.

"The longer that you hold on to that secret, so to speak, it can continue to live, and [it] keeps a person stuck," Towe said. "It’s important to share the story to get it off your chest and to have some support, receive some support, to get through it."

Once police get involved, Vaughan said, investigators with the Special Victims Unit work with survivors to gather enough evidence to pursue criminal charges.

Like the police department as a whole, the SVU is understaffed, he said, with a couple of vacancies on the 17-person staff. Still, they are usually able to submit sexual assault evidence kits to a state lab for testing within a week – much faster than the 45-day deadline set by state law.

Vaughan said the increased reporting could be a sign of successful outreach from police and advocacy groups. Towe agreed that making people aware of available resources before they're needed could head off potential assaults.

"Being able to openly talk about the challenges that one may be experiencing in their relationship, either with peer support or services like ours with the 24-hour helpline, and telling somebody when you see red flags and get some support on that" is crucial, she said.

The Durham Crisis Response Center can be reached 24 hours a day at 919-403-6562, or 919-519-3735 for Spanish speakers.