The Los Angeles Police Department says it’s currently investigating 28 different cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault that are related to Hollywood and the entertainment industry — and they don’t think it will end there.
LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck told the LA Times that in addition to the 28 cases they’re investigating, they’ve passed 37 others on to other departments. The cases being outsourced are sent to the jurisdictions where the crimes allegedly took place.
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Beck spoke on behalf of the LAPD, saying: “we anticipate the LAPD and other jurisdictions will receive even more high profile sex crime reports in the coming weeks and months… We encourage all victims of sexual assault to come forward to report these crimes.”
Beck has promised that the LAPD will take all cases of sexual assault seriously, regardless of who is accusing whom.
The volume of cases has grown to the point where the department now has two teams of detectives dedicated solely to sexual assault cases in the entertainment industry. The teams consist of five detectives each, and there are cold case specialists on call to deal with older accusations.
For some, the cold case team is a hollow gesture. Cory Feldman was among the victims that came forward in the last couple of months, but the incident he described was well passed the statute of limitations. Beck apologized for that, but thanked Feldman for speaking up. He hopes it will embolden others to do the same.
Beck made it very plain that the notoriety that comes with Hollywood cases like this does not bother him. “The high profile nature of these particular cases has not changed our unyielding commitment to seek justice for ALL victims of sexual assault.”
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