A 23-year partnership between Travis County law enforcement and a group of nurses who examine victims of sexual assault ended May 29.
In a news release Austin/Travis County Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners announced it ceased its contract with the Austin Police Department.
“In an effort to best support their nurses, A/TC SANE will fully end their contract with APD on May 29, 2015, at 23:59 p.m.,” according to the release. “The team plans to find additional sources of collaboration where their unique skill set is needed.”
A/TC SANE also ceased its contract with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, spokesperson Roger Wade said. Until the contract ended, the group offered round-the-clock availability to local law enforcement, he said. In other words, if deputies responded to a victim at 3 a.m., when no hospital staff SANEs were available, law enforcement could call A/TC SANE to give the victim immediate attention.
Wade said the end of the contract does not mean sexual assault victims will lack care in Travis County.
“Every hospital has SANE nurses on staff. They may not be 24/7,” he said. “We are searching out alternatives to provide this service.”
Wade said fortunately the sheriff’s office does not often need to call on the nurses.
“We don’t see [the contract’s end] as a huge issue … just a minor inconvenience,” he said.
Travis County criminal district courts handled 46 new felony cases of sexual assault in fiscal year 2014, down from 67 cases in FY 2013 and 78 cases in FY 2012, according to the Travis County Justice System Profile compiled by the county’s Justice Planning Department.
According to Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo’s most recent monthly report, 32 incidents of rape were reported in April, a decrease of nearly half from April 2014. APD spokesperson Lisa Cortinas said the city is working to finalize a new contract with SafePlace, which aims to end sexual and domestic violence and has several SANEs on staff.
Kylie Rush, a spokesperson for Lift Alliance, representing SafePlace, said the organization could not comment on the contract.
A/TC SANE’s press release does not indicate why the group ended its contract with local law enforcement, and representatives of the group did not respond to requests for comment.
The nurses of A/TC SANE are certified through the International Association of Forensic Nurses and the Texas Office of the Attorney General to provide medical and forensic examinations to survivors of sexual assault in Central Texas. The nurses also assist in legal proceedings and perfocrm education and outreach in the community.
