By Paul Bishop
Editor’s Note: Choosing this topic for Meridian may surprise some of our readers. However, the problem is more prevalent than most people know. We hope the knowledge shared in this article will alert parents and youth to a growing problem and spare some in our reading audience great pain. We asked a teenage girl from what is considered a safe neighborhood if her friends encountered this issue and here is what she wrote:
As a teenager I am concerned that other youth and even adults may think that this article doesn’t concern them or is even offensive. I would like to assert that date-rape really happens, even in the best Latter-day Saint communities. I have a close friend that this type of date-rape happened to not long ago. This innocent girl was taken advantage of, and then later found out that she had contracted HIV from this rape. It has ruined her life, and I am heartbroken to see how some simple guidelines could’ve spared her this agony. This article teaches those guidelines ? it is for the real world and can really help women protect themselves. Share this article with everyone you care about. Trust me .it will make a difference.
I distinctly remember the phone call. At the time, I was an eighteen-year veteran detective with a major west coast police department. For more than ten years, I had specialized in the investigation of sex crimes.
When I answered the phone in the squad room, the voice of a distraught college coed came down the line. Through her tears, she explained she had gone to a party the night before. She remembered being given a drink when she arrived, but had no memory of anything else until she woke up in her own bed the next morning with her underwear on backward. She was frightened and on the verge of panic. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before.
A month earlier, I may not have believed anything worse than an overindulgence of alcohol had occurred. Her plight may have been dismissed as simply bad judgment on her part.
If she couldn’t remember what happened, how could we prove a crime occurred simply because her clothing was in disarray? Even if we could prove a sexual act occurred, how could we prove the victim didn’t give consent?
However, rumors of a sinister twist on an old crime had been slowly seeping into the consciousness of law enforcement. I believed this young lady because nothing like this had ever happened to me before either. This was my first encounter with the effects of Rohypnol ? a drug that would quickly become synonymous with ‘date rape.’
Ten years have passed since I conducted my first date rape drug investigation. I am now the commanding officer of one of my department’s four centralized sex crimes units. Each week, I assign at least one, if not two or three, sexual assault investigations potentially involving the use of date rape drugs. While almost unknown ten years ago, the specter of date rape drugs has grown to epidemic proportions. Date rape is now the most common form of rape (78%), with more than 50% of date rapes involving the willing or unwilling use of alcohol or drugs.
The majority of victims in these cases are not promiscuous, alcoholic degenerates who party all the time. The truth is quite the reverse. Most victims are between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five, have a middle-class or better background, and are truly victims of what has happened to them. While most victims are female, men are increasingly reporting drug-induced sexual assaults. Any one of them could be your daughter ? or your son.
We may think we have taken every precaution to protect our teenagers from finding themselves in this type of situation. In reality, however, this crime can happen to anyone. You don’t have to be at a wild party or a dance club to be targeted. You could simply be having dinner at a nice restaurant with a friend, or be participating in a university- or college-sponsored activity.
Knowledge of how date rape drugs work, what their effects are, the actions of suspects, and what to do if you think you have become a victim, can all work toward your personal protection.
What Are Date Rape Drugs?
Rohypnol, GHB, and Ketamine are the most common brand names of the substances known as ‘date rape’ or ‘predatory’ drugs. This terminology has evolved due to their ability to incapacitate someone for the purposes of committing a crime. These substances are odorless, tasteless, and colorless, and can easily be slipped into a victim’s drink.
Their effects are not like the traditional ‘Mickey Finn’ – they do not merely cause a victim to lose consciousness. Instead, the drugs alter mental awareness, repress all inhibitions, develop a submissive and suggestible state, and most critically, cause anterograde amnesia ? leaving victims unclear what, if any, crime has been committed. While these drugs are more potent when combined with alcohol, their effects can be just as dangerous when placed in water, soda, or other drinks.
Rohypnol (flunitrazepam), sometimes referred to as Roofies, Mexican Valium, or Rope, is a central nervous system depressant ten times more powerful than Valium. Widely available in Europe and both Central and South America, it is illegal within the United States. Its traditional uses include short-term treatment of severe sleep disorders, and as a disinhibitor in controlled psychiatric therapy sessions. In 1999, the company manufacturing Rohypnol reformulated the tablets so they turn blue and foam when placed in liquid. The non-blue tablets, however, are still readily available ? often in the form of off-brands manufactured strictly for the illicit market.
GHB, or gamma hydroxbutyrate, is also a central nervous system sedative. Referred to by the nicknames Grievous Bodily Harm or Liquid Ecstasy, GHB is even more dangerous than Rohypnol due to the ease of overdosing with often fatal results.
Ketamine was originally manufactured in an injectable form intended for veterinary use. Known as Special K, Vitamin K, or Cat Valium, high doses of Ketamine cause delirium, high blood pressure, and potentially fatal respiratory problems. It is now widely distributed in tablet form.
Clearly the effects of these drugs can be both debilitating and fatal. Usually taking hold within fifteen to twenty minutes of ingestion, the effects may persist for more than twelve hours. Traces can be detected in urine for up to 72 hours; however, it is not uncommon for traces (evidence) to be completely gone within ten to twelve hours.
The ability of these drugs to cause amnesia, and the fact any evidence of the drug is usually out of a victim’s system long before the incident is reported to authorities, is not only terrifying for a victim, but creates a nightmare for law enforcement and prosecutors. If the victims didn’t smell, see, or taste anything in a beverage, if there is no proof of drug ingestion (no traces in system), and if they have no memory of who did what ? if anything ? to them, identifying suspects becomes exceedingly problematic. Even should a suspect be established, chances of finding that suspect guilty ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ presents a great challenge when questions of consent are raised.
How Do Predators Employ Date Rape Drugs?
Sexual predators most often purchase date rape drugs through street or Internet connections. Obtained in this manner, the drugs do not come with formal dosage instructions. This means that implementation is a matter of guesswork. Clearly, predators have no compassion for their victims and most often err on the side of overdose. South Florida and Texas authorities believe Rohypnol to be the easiest illicit drug in their jurisdictions to obtain.
Usually, a predator will slip the date rape drug into an unsuspecting victim’s drink. After waiting for the drink to be ingested and the hypnotic influences of the narcotic to take affect, he will then get the victim to ‘willingly’ go with him ? and later ‘willingly’ engage in sexual activity.
Because of the lack of inhibitions, and the highly suggestive mental state caused by the affects of the drug, victims are easy prey once the drug is in their system. Under the influence, victims will engage in activities entirely against their nature. No matter what a victim’s moral upbringing or personal principles, date rape drugs will deplete those values to a non-existent standard.
Sometimes, predators also place these drugs in the individual bottled waters prevalent at even the most innocuous events. Re-tightening the cap on these bottles, or injecting the drug just under the cap, can make it appear as if the bottles are free from tampering. Evian brand water was particularly popular at one time because someone figured out Evian spelled backward makes the word ‘nave’ ? the state of the predator’s intended victims.
Knowing that memory loss follows the ingestion of a date rape drug, more sophisticated predators target victims with whom they have no prior connection. When a victim later tries to report the incident to law enforcement, not only can they not provide a ‘corpus’ for a crime (the elements needed to prove a crime occurred), they can’t even provide clues to who might have perpetrated the event.
Some ‘generous’ suspects even get a thrill out of randomly placing date rape drugs in drinks in a party, dance, or club setting. They then allow events to follow a natural course. In this instance, a victim may be taken advantage of by somebody who is totally unaware of the victim’s drug intoxicated state, believing the victim is nothing more than an amenable partner.
Today, law enforcement is also coming into contact with an increasing number of victims who take these drugs voluntarily. These misguided unfortunates operate under the flawed ‘tree-falling-in-the-woods-doesn’t-make-a-sound-if-nobody-is-there-to-hear-it’ philosophy, or in their case, ‘a-sin-is-not-a-sin-if-you-don’t-remember-committing-it.’ In order to be popular, they believe they must do away with their inhibitions, but don’t want to live with the guilt of their resulting actions. Date rape drugs provide the perfect vehicle to obtain this objective ? disinhibition and no memory of actions.
Ten Things You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Is there anything we can do to protect ourselves or our teens/young adults from becoming victims? Absolutely. First and foremost, knowledge of these insidious practices can place us on alert against their use. There are also other simple rules to follow:
1. Don’t leave any drink unattended. This is the simplest and easiest way to avoid becoming a victim of a date rape drug. If you walk away from your drink before it is finished, obtain a fresh beverage.
2. Don’t accept open drinks from others you do not know or do trust. This obviously includes drinks that come in a glass.
3. If you are in a bar setting (even if your are just drinking water, soda, or juice), always get your drink directly from the bartender. Do not take your eyes off the bartender or your order. Don’t use the waitress or let somebody else go to the bar for you.
4. At parties, only accept drinks in closed containers ? bottles, cans, etc.
5. Do not drink from communal beverage sources such as punchbowls.
6. Trust your instincts. If you feel light-headed or ill, tell someone you trust straightaway and ask for a taxi home.
7. Whenever you are going out, particularly if you are meeting somebody new, leave details of where you are going, who you are meeting, and when you expect to return.
8. Go out with groups of friends or double date ? pay attention to your friends and watch out for one another. Tell your friends not to let you leave with anyone but them.
9. If a friend starts acting out of character, get him or her away from the location. Call for help if you need it.
10. If there is talk of date rape drugs, or if you hear the street terms for the drugs being used, leave immediately.
If You Think You Might Be a Victim
If you feel you have become the victim of a crime involving a date rape drug, it is imperative to contact law enforcement as soon as possible. Do not shower, take a bath, or wash your clothing (a natural instinct for somebody who has been the victim of a sexual assault) as you may destroy potential evidence. It is important not to urinate. As gross as it sounds, if necessary, capture a sample of your first bladder void after the incident. Traces of date rape drugs can be out of your system in as little as ten to twelve hours. The only chance to find those traces may be in the first bladder void after the incident.
It is also important to call a family member or a friend for support. However, don’t let them talk you into not reporting the potential crime. Reporting is not only critical to your own psychological well-being, but can possibly save future victims.
Law enforcement contacts are never pleasant at the best of times. Investigators who regularly work with sexual assaults victims usually do so because it is a calling. As a result, they are experienced and understanding of the situation. Unfortunately, less experienced officers with whom you may have first contact, may be more callused or unthinking ? just hang in there until your case can proceed to the next level of investigator.
Law Enforcement Efforts
As date rape drugs have become more common, investigative techniques have evolved. Nationwide, law enforcement has developed formalized and continual training regarding date rape and date rape drugs. As a result, the initial disbelief of victims caught in this nightmare is a thing of the past.
Investigators clearly realize a speedy response is essential to preserve evidence. As a result, traces of the drugs are being recovered more often. This has been significant in establishing the credence of a victim’s statement. Awareness of how date rape drugs are packaged has increased seizures of the drugs during search warrant service.
It has also been established sexual predators using date rape drugs often keep ‘trophies’ to document their conquests. These items can be as simple as a piece of a victim’s clothing. However, these predators frequently also take photographs of their victims in prurient poses ? the disinhibitor effect of the drug allows victims to be talked into posing for these shots. A number of major cases on the west coast have involved date rape suspects with photo albums of several hundred victims. Obviously, these items become extremely important evidence when uncovered.
Law enforcement is also encouraging drinking establishments to make use of new ‘date rape technology’ ? coasters or swizzle stick that change color (like litmus paper) if a foreign substance is slipped into a drink. This is a slow process, but individual consumers can also purchase these items for personal protection.
Education and training continue to be the key factors in battling date rape and date rape drugs. Presentations made to students on university and high school campuses or fraternity/sorority settings are often part of orientation weeks. Information is also being disseminated through concerned parent groups, PTA organizations, and women’s rights organizations.
A Final Word Especially for Latter-Day Saints
Before proposing to write this article for Meridian, I was very aware that as member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints many of our practices and teachings already provide the basics of the protections discussed above. However, while acknowledging that factor, clearly we are not immune to having a family member fall prey to these practices. A check with my law enforcement counterparts even in the heart of Zion revealed not only the existence, but the proliferation of date rape drugs in Utah.
Sexual assaults and the practices of sexual predators are not pleasant subjects. However, through awareness of this threat, the warning signs, and defensive applications, we can hopefully do even more to protect ourselves and those we love.
2005 Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
