Coroner Won't Examine Rape Victims

              SHREVEPORT JOURNAL SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, LA., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18. 1980 *11A
Coroner Won't Examine Rape Victims
By The Journal Staff
For the second time in as many days,
Shreveport Coroner Dr. Robert Braswell has
refused to respond to police calls to examine
women who had reported rapes to police.
Capt. Sam Burns of the Shreveport Police
Department said police officers called Braswell
early today after a 25-year-old woman said she
was raped by a man who abducted her and her 6-
year-old child from a convenience store in North
Shreveport.
The coroner refused to respond to the call,
Burns said, so a city physician was later called to
make an examination.
On Wednesday morning, a 24-year-old woman
had to wait nearly two hours for a post-rape
examination after Braswell refused to examine
her, Burns said.
"For us to do the job, we've got to have medical
assistance from somebody," Burns said. "What I
want to know is who's going to do that."
Burns said the city needs to develop a policy so
that officers can know who will be called for rape
examinations. Delays are not only time-consum-ing
and costly for police officers, but create an
increased burden on rape victims, he said.
"If the coroner's office is not going to conduct
any kind of criminal assault examinations, I'm for
the city entering into some contract or agreement
with another qualified person in that field to do our
examinations," Burns said.
A specialist would be particularly helpful during
trial testimony and also would provide a better
chain of evidence, he noted.
Burns said he does not think rape examinations
should be the responsibility of the city physician.
They have responded to the last two rape reports
but have said they do not want to continue doing
so, Burns said.
Braswell could not be reached for comment on
the matter. Attempts by the Journal to reach
Braswell during the past three weeks have been
unsuccessful.
District Attorney Paul Carmouche, who met
with the coroner today, said the change will not
affect criminal prosecutions here.
Braswell has agreed to continue examining rape
victims in cases investigated by the Sheriff's
Department. Victims in other cases will be ex-amined
by "whoever the city can get,"
Carmouche said.
In the meantime, state Attorney General Wil-liam
Guste will be asked for a legal opinion on
conflicting segments of the state statute which
outlines the coroner's responsibilities. That opin-ion
could come within two or three weeks,
Carmouche said. "It may be quicker than that,"
he added.
The coroner reportedly has refused to make any
more rape examinations based on a Louisiana
statute which states "the coroner shall not in-vestigate
cases of alleged rape, simple and ag-gravated,
carnal knowledge and crimes against
nature in which the victim presents himself or is
presented at a hospital licensed in Louisiana."
The statute further states all licensed hospitals
in Louisiana should adhere to the law which notes:
"After the incident is reported, the victim shall be
examined and treated as a regular emergency
room patient, any injury requiring medical atten-tion
will be treated in the standard manner and
specimens shall be kept for evidence.
"Such evidence shall be turned over to the law
enforcement officers when they arrive to resume
responsibility for investigation of the incident,"
the statute says. In addition, no hospital may
require the person to report the incident in order
to receive medical attention.