.Hero & Zero: Fawn in Patrol Car & Rape Kit Backlog

Deputy Donya Halawa carries a fawn to safety. Photo courtesy of Marin County Sheriff’s Department.

Hero: The Marin County Sheriff’s Department lit up social media with an adorable video of a spotted fawn that jumped into their patrol car. The baby deer stopped traffic in Tam Valley until deputies arrived to reunite it with its mom in the nearby bushes. Watch the baby’s antics here: Facebook.com/MarinCountySheriff/videos/2034481973474467/.
Zero: Imagine enduring a violent sexual assault, followed by a lengthy invasive exam to collect DNA, just to have that evidence gather dust in a police locker for years. It’s shameful that in our wealthy county, rape kits dated before 2011 sit on shelves untested in some Marin police departments. (As unbelievable as it sounds, lack of funds is one of the reasons cited.) A Marin County Civil Grand Jury recently released a report stating that all of the untested kits should be processed, “regardless of statute of limitations or prosecutorial value.” Hell yes. Even if the clock has run out, we want that DNA in a database. A serial rapist, or worse, could be identified. Did we really need a report to point that out?

Nikki Silverstein
Nikki Silverstein is an award-winning journalist who has written for the Pacific Sun since 2005. She escaped Florida after college and now lives in Sausalito with her Chiweenie and an assortment of foster dogs. Send news tips to [email protected].

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