GENERAL NOTES

Please refer to immediate practical matters for additional urgent needs and concerns. This section gives a quick overview of specific types of crimes or incidents that you may have experienced. At the end of each section is a list of related resources under Agencies involved.

Contact info for agencies involved is in RESOURCES.

Sexual Assault or Rape

If a sexual assault/rape is reported to NOPD, Detectives from the Special Victims Section will investigate.

This is a wide-ranging issue that might overlap with domestic violence, intimate partner violence, child abuse, trafficking, rape (completed and/or attempted) by either acquaintances or strangers, as well as physical abuse, and/or homicide. For potential additional legal issues, see Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence notes (next section). LAFASA has a list of accredited sexual assault centers in each parish:

https://www.lafasa.org/crisis-centers

Medical Issues

It is very important to get medical care as soon as possible. A survivor may have suffered serious injuries, even if not visible right away. Strangulation in particular can cause hidden injuries.

A survivor should, where possible, avoid washing or douching, or even changing out of their clothes, before the SANE exam.

SANE nurses are registered nurses specially trained to take care of sexual assault survivors and are at certain hospitals. Note that while you can go to any hospital, only certain locations have SANE nurses on staff. In Orleans Parish, victims aged 15 and older can be seen at University Medical Center (UMC). Another available option is the Hope Clinic within the New Orleans Family Justice Center (Mon-Fri, 8 am to 4 pm), and ask for the forensic nurse. In Jefferson Parish, it is Tulane Lakeside Hospital.

• If you choose to obtain a sexual assault exam (also called a forensic medical exam or FME), you will not be charged for it.

• Victim-survivors 18 years and older should remember that even if they do have a full exam and an evidence kit is completed, they are not obligated to make a police report, per state law.

• You can have anyone in the room with you that you want; this is a state law. Also, a medical advocate can be requested to be present (from STAR or NOFJC).

• Hospitals are required to offer you emergency contraception (“Plan B”). This is time-sensitive and must be done ASAP.

• If you believe you are at risk for HIV, hospitals are also required to test and offer you medications to prevent HIV. This is also time-sensitive and must be done within 3 days of the assault.

• If you don’t report to law enforcement, you can still receive care and advocacy services from NOFJC, STAR, or METRO (local advocacy groups), no matter how long it’s been since you were sexually assaulted, or if you don’t want an exam, and/or never reported to the police in the past.

• You can track your Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) through this portal: https://sakt.louisiana.gov/ if you enter in the tracking number provided to you on your Survivor Card (which you should have been given after your exam, if your exam was after July 1, 2024). Note, only kits collected after July 1, 2024 are trackable (to our knowledge).

Children (17 and younger) in Orleans Parish can go to the Children’s Hospital’s Audrey Hepburn Care Center 24/7, or in Jefferson Parish, they can go to Children’s Advocacy Center in Gretna - both of these locations have SANE nurses. To look for other Children’s Advocacy Centers near you, visit https://lacacs.org/ for locations throughout the state.

Mandatory reporting

Most trained and licensed service providers are required by state law to report abuse. In general, this covers children (17 and younger), people of any age with a disability, and elderly people. This is intended to keep people safe and enable them to receive care and services. Service providers are supposed to tell you this upfront.

Depending on the circumstances, these reports can be made to local police, medical providers, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), and adult or elderly protective services (these are state agencies). If a report is made, you can expect to hear from the agency at some point.

Support through Investigation and Prosecution

The Special Victims Section of the NOPD handles all sexual assault cases, and a detective will be assigned to your case. If you report a sexual assault to police, you can request a Social Worker or Victim/Witness Advocate from NOPD.

If an arrest is made and your case is referred to the DA’s office for prosecution, an Assistant District Attorney (ADA) will be assigned to your case. At this time, you can request a DA Victim/Witness Advocate be assigned to you for this part of the process.

The DA’s SAKI Unit (Sexual Assault Kit Initiative) handles cases that are solved by DNA results (sometimes called CODIS hits) and also works on cold cases. If you would like the unit to look into a cold case sexual assault, you can email saki@orleansda.com.

If your case is being investigated by NOPD, contact your Victim/Witness Advocate if you have difficulty reaching your detective or want a status update. If your case has been referred to the DA for prosecution, you can contact your Victim/Witness Advocate there for updates.

Sexual assault survivors can request a free legal advocate from Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR) or the New Orleans Family Justice Center (NOFJC). This person can help you understand the investigation and prosecution process and advocate on your behalf with either the NOPD or the DA’s office on items related to your case. They act as your own independent advocate, while your Assistant District Attorney (ADA) assigned to your case is working on behalf of the state. NOFJC and STAR can also provide civil legal assistance.

See the College & School Campus Crimes section for additional options for reporting sexual violence, including through your college or university’s Title IX office.

Agencies involved

NOPD Special Victims; Orleans District Attorney’s Office DA (after arrest); Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office OPSO (if accused is jailed); Federal agencies (some cases); Docket Master (to track an Orleans criminal court case) and LA Vine (to sign up for victim notifications of custody status); Crime Victims Reparations (CVR) (victim-survivor compensation)

Forensic medical exams (to get a sexual assault/rape kit): NOFJC Hope Clinic, UMC, Tulane Lakeside, Children’s Hospital, Children’s Advocacy Centers

General support: New Orleans Family Justice Center NOFJC; Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response STAR; Metro Centers for Community Advocacy METRO; Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault LAFASA (statewide organization where you can look for help in your area); LSR (support groups, all types of violence); UMC Trauma Recovery Center (support groups, all types of violence); SLLS (civil legal aid); Rape Abuse and Incest National Network RAINN; StrongHearts (for AIAN individuals, national helpline); VIET (Vietnamese Initiatives, local); Title IX (see College & School Campus Crimes section below); Beyond Harm (restorative approaches and counseling, focused on the person who caused the harm)

For housing/relocation assistance, see our Housing section in RESOURCES

For information on address confidentiality, visit our guide to Louisiana’s Address Confidentiality Program (ACP)