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Hi, Um, so I have an odd (Maybe?) question to ask, although I'm not sure if anyone knows any information regarding it.
My question is: Is there a way to obtain a police record (or some report, not specifically police reports) of a sexual abuse incident I experienced when I was 6 or 7?
I guess I'll further add background so this question doesn't seem so out of place.
When I was around 6 or 7, I was sexually abused by my female teenage neighbor. When my parents found out later that day, the police came over and interviewed me. I remember being so embarrassed and upset having to go into detail. However, after the police left, my parents had never asked me if I wanted to talk about it with someone, nor did they tell me what had happened wasn't my fault or that it was inappropriate and it shouldn't have happened. Instead, I guess they thought it was best to never acknowledge it and hope I'd forget about it?
Regardless, I'm 20 and in college. I'm actually studying in psychology and have a specific interest in one day wanting to work with survivors of sexual abuse and gender violence. But right now, I'm still held back by my past in regards to certain things. I've secretly been going to counseling (because my parents wouldn't be okay with it), but I still find this tremendous doubt in regards to what I remember from that event of being sexually abused.
I believe by my parents keeping silence around the event, it's made me feel as if maybe I imagined it all. I really believe I can remember most of what had occurred in my abuse, but I'd really like the opportunity to give myself peace of mind. I am stable enough to read a report of what had happened to me, I do know that. So the goal of obtaining the report would be to put a stop to these HUGE insecurities I have that keep me up at night. I want to be able to know with better confidence that what I can "recall" is accurate or not.
I don't believe I can even fully explain how and why this would be important to me. Plus, I believe it will help put me a step further in healing after all this time.
I had gone to the local police who would have the file of my police report, however, they sent me out after a quick no and weren't willing to answer any questions on what I could possibly do to try to get the report.
My counselor has no idea as well, and I don't feel comfortable discussing this issue with my parents because frankly they aren't very supportive of me in general. Along with that, I do recognize because my abuser was under the age of 18 when the abuse occurred, it further limits my possibilities.
I do hope this makes some sense, and if there are any questions about something I said that are needed to help clarify, please ask away. So sorry this is incredibly long as well.
Police reports are normally a document of public record but because juveniles were involved they are restricted. I would suggest calling the City’s Attorney’s office (or their equivalent depending on the type of community) or the County’s Prosecutor’s office to see what your rights are, because it involved you directly, with obtaining a copy? The only other suggestion would be to try asking the Clerk of Courts office for the Juvenile Courts for that community. Good luck with this; I can understand how hard it could be with not knowing what happened. I commend you for seeking counseling; I know how much it helped me when I needed it.
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