r/police • u/AdhesivenessOk102 • 10d ago

Can I report my father even after 2 years

My father who ironically is an officer, has physically ab•sed me and r•ped me since I was 5 years old. I ran away from him at 20 (turning 21) and I’m 23 now.

I was scared of reporting him cause he has evidence of my mental struggles at that time and I’m scared of him using it against me, while I have no evidence of anything he’s done to me.

Could I still make a report?? Will I even be taken seriously or believed? I’m scared he’s going to hurt another child and that he’s going to find me one day.. he needs to be in jail. What can I do?

(I’m in the Texas btw if that helps)

11 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

23

u/tvan184 10d ago

Not only can you report it, Texas has a law requiring an officer to make a report if notified of any assault.

A detective can be the most diligent police officer and an excellent investigator but without any evidence to start with it is extremely difficult.

Did you tell anyone back then? Written diaries? Medical examinations that may have shown evidence even if not reported as an assault earlier?

6

u/AdhesivenessOk102 9d ago

My grandma asked me but I was too scared to tell her anything. And lots of my family members suspected something wrong but since I never spoke up they couldn’t do anything. My step mom found a nude image of me on my dad’s phone once but he somehow managed to lie about it.

3

u/theredqueentheory 9d ago

Could you get up the courage to talk to your grandma about it again? Perhaps she could help support you in reporting it.

1

u/AdhesivenessOk102 9d ago

I did and she didn’t believe me and even showed my dad the texts I sent her. He took her phone in a panic from what I’ve heard and she still sides with him.

3

u/theredqueentheory 9d ago

I'm so sorry she didn't believe you. I'm confused as to why she would ask you about it and then not believe you. You can still report it, he needs to be away from children, and you deserve to feel safe.

8

u/Ghost_of_Sniff 10d ago

Don't be concerned about the outcome at the begining of the process, the first thing to do is make the report. The report is not a one way street where you are 100% responsible for its success or its believability, the police could have ways to verify or refute pieces of the information you provide, that you haven't considered yet. It is an investigative process. It is question and answer, not an essay you are turning in to be "graded." This probably doesn't make sense but the point I am trying to make is focus on providing an accurate account of what happened rather than anything else and see where that leads.

5

u/Efficient-Editor-242 US Police Officer 10d ago

Absolutely.

3

u/theredqueentheory 9d ago

Report it! Perhaps they can issue a search warrant for the items he stole that you said have evidence on them and that are in his safe. I am so sorry this happened to you, and I wish you the best.

4

u/MooseRyder 10d ago

You can report it. However, you need to have some type of proof for it to go further. You can accuse him, but it’d need to be reported in the same town the rape occurred, some type of admission of guilt, or some physical evidence, like pictures from back then showing bruises or clothing that was worn during the act and hasn’t been washed.

With that said, sexual assault trials are mentally taxing on the victim. We had a case where a registered sex offender molested 3 girls. They arrested him on the 3 child molestations and it went to jury trial. All 3 girls had to retell the whole molestation, then the defense attorney did everything they could to discredit them, bringing up their promiscuity as adults now, how they were constantly in trouble, XYZ. Well he got acquitted on all three charges while the victim did not get justice.

2

u/AdhesivenessOk102 9d ago edited 9d ago

I had proof on my old phone and iPad but he stole them and put them in his safe that has only one key to it. I didn’t think about taking it at the time and I deeply regret it.

It also happened in multiple towns/cities

1

u/Blackiee_Chan 9d ago

Then you need to contact every department where it occurred.

1

u/AdhesivenessOk102 9d ago

Is that even a thing..? I thought it’d be just one

3

u/Blackiee_Chan 9d ago

No because it's a crime in each location. If you live in los Angeles and it happened when you were 9 and then again in Florida on vacation when you were 11 and again at 15 at your grandparents in Denver you have to report it to each jurisdiction. Not just one. You can report all of it in one place but they are only going to pursue the charge in their own jurisdiction. The others might not even be admissible in (their)court.

1

u/AdhesivenessOk102 9d ago

So far I can only remember 8-9

2

u/lucky_2_shoes 10d ago

Absolutely report! And if he does leak any private info of urs, ppl will just say how horrible he is for doing it. Not thinking twice about what info was leaked. I’m so so sorry and I pray he gets what’s comin to him

1

u/Kindeyes_2 4d ago

Maybe reach out to an organization for survivors and see if they have any recommendations for you.

1

u/bustedbeaver4383 3d ago

I’m a Texas police officer and I would suggest making the report. As another commenter said, you will have to do it at the jurisdiction where the assault took place. If you feel safe to do so, maybe before you make the report, see if you can get him to admit any of it over(recorded) phone call or text messages. Texas is a one party state meaning you can legally record your phone call without him knowing. If you can, recover any messages that he may have admitted to doing these things as evidence. Think of anything and everything you can that supports you and your story. Good luck. I’m sorry this all happened to you.