Baltimore Child Protection Archives -

The Yost Legal Group Is Representing Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Committed by Maryland Police Officers

The Washington Post recently reported that 1,800 police officers were charged with child sexual abuse crimes between 2005 and 2022. These officers were accused of committing crimes involving sexual abuse against children.

The report highlights a concerning trend within law enforcement agencies across the country. The findings shed light on the issue of abuse of power and trust within the police force.

The information for “Abused by the Badge” is from Bowling Green State University’s Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database. This database is known as the most comprehensive collection of police arrests in the United States. The introduction for the site reads:

“The Police Crime Database includes summary information on 16,563 criminal arrest cases from the years 2005-2018 involving 13,600 individual nonfederal sworn law enforcement officers, each of whom was charged with one or more crimes.

The arrested officers were employed by 4,766 state, local, and special law enforcement agencies located in 1,831 counties and independent cities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”

Were you or someone you love sexually abused as a minor by a police officer in Maryland? Thanks to the Child Victims Act of Maryland, you can now file a claim regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.

This groundbreaking bill has removed the statute of limitations on reporting childhood sexual abuse.

The compassionate and experienced prison abuse attorneys at The Yost Legal Group are ready to listen and support you. We’re here to help you seek the justice you deserve.

Call or text a prison sexual abuse lawyer today at 410-659-6800.

Explore 17,000+ Police Arrests in the BGSU Database

With the Police Crime Database, users may search for arrests by location, crime, and victim. Researchers at BGSU discovered over 17,000 state and local officers charged with a crime from 2005 to 2022. The search tool they developed will be helpful for accessing this information.

While large amounts of data can be difficult to parse, the team at BGSU has done a wonderful job designing the website.

They even provide very helpful meta resources such as How-To (video tutorials), Glossary (definitions of common terms), and FAQ (frequently asked questions) sections. Finally, supporting The Post’s claim that this database is the most comprehensive one available, the team at BGSU even provides an in-depth Methods section to explain “How we built the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database.”

Nearly 18,000 police officers—entrusted with authority, power, and weapons, sworn to protect and serve—have been charged with crimes like assault, drug offenses, and impaired driving. This is truly shocking.

But The Post dug deeper. There was an even bigger story here, and they found it.

Thousands of Police Officers Accused of Sexual Abuse Against Minors

“The Post found that 1 in 10 of those officers were charged with a crime involving child sexual abuse.”

And that is how we get to the fact that 1,800 police officers were charged with the sexual abuse of a minor between the years of 2005 and 2022.

The number is hard to fathom: 1,800 individual officers in just 17 years of accounting. Even if the same number of offenders showed up in data over twice or thrice as many years, it would still be unacceptable.

It is also worth noting that not every officer was a first-time or one-time offender when officially charged.

What is worse, as The Post points out, is that Bowling Green’s data is technically limited in that they have only tracked new reports, but “not all arrests are reported in the news media.”

As USA TODAY exposed in “Behind the Blue Wall of Silence,” police have a history of protecting themselves and the fraternal order.

Who Polices the Police? Uncovering Abuse Within

When a person needs to report rape or sexual assault, they need to go to the police. But what happens when the person who committed the crime is a police officer? CNN writer Harmeet Kaur explored that question in “Why Some Police Officers Rally Around Their Colleagues – Even When They’re Accused of Committing Crimes.”

Even when officers are charged, tracking criminal cases of police officers can be difficult because other parts of the justice system can get in the way.

As The Post reported, “Some cases were impossible to track because prosecutors struck deals that allowed officers to accept responsibility for their crimes without a conviction being placed on their record. Others were permitted to have their criminal records sealed after meeting certain conditions.”

The Washington Post‘s investigators found that almost 40% of officers convicted of child sex crimes did not go to prison.

Police officers, correctional officers, and guards all have a duty to protect the people in their care. All correctional facilities have a duty to protect inmates.

If you are a victim of sexual abuse while in police custody or in a correctional facility, call us. Victims of child sexual assault can file a failing to protect inmates claim. Sexual assault cases like these, cases involving sexual abuse in prisons, must stop.

Victims of sexual assault in prison can now report abuse, regardless of when it occurred, to pursue justice and compensation.

Justice Awaits Survivors of Maryland Police Sex Abuse

We must hold the police accountable for their crimes, especially when they are using their authority and power to abuse and groom minors.

Bowling Green’s database included the following Maryland officers accused of abusing, grooming, raping, or soliciting minors:

Cpl. Tristan Thigpen, Prince George’s County
Pfc. Nicholas Christopher Bonsall, Baltimore City
Pfc. Christopher B. Dunkes, Montgomery County

But this short list is not close to exhaustive for officers charged with child sex crimes in Bowling Green’s Police Crime Database. Not all sexual abuses committed by police are reported or investigated.

The Yost Legal Group thanks writers Jessica Contrera, Jenn Abelson, John, D. Harden, Haydon Godfrey, and FOIA specialist Nate Jones for their collaborative effort on “Abused by the Badge.”

Are You a Survivor of Police Sexual Abuse in Maryland?

Were you or a loved one raped or sexually abused by a Maryland police officer or guard? The Yost Legal Group is here to support survivors like you. Our prison abuse lawyers will help you file a sex abuse lawsuit.

If you are ready to share your story, our experienced child sexual abuse lawyers are here to listen. You are not alone, and you are not to blame.

Call or text 410-659-6800 for a free consultation. Justice is within your reach.

We have spoken with many survivors of child sexual abuse claims and family members. If we file a sexual abuse claim on your behalf, our inmate abuse lawsuit lawyers will stand by you every step of the way.

Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation. We never charge upfront fees. In fact, it costs you nothing upfront for us to handle your case.

We are paid after we settle your case. And if there is no recovery, there are no fees or expenses due.

Every year, Child Protective Services receives over 3 million reports of child abuse, and approximately 5 children lose their lives every day due to abuse or neglect.

The United States is currently dealing with an epidemic when it comes to cases of child abuse and neglect, but many Americans still remain unaware of the extent of this crisis. To make matters worse, some studies estimate that 2 out of every 3 incidents of child abuse and neglect are not even reported.

Many children are abused and neglected in trusted environments such as licensed Day Care Centers, Religious Programs for Kids, After School Programs and more. When you pay to place your child in a reputable, licensed childcare facility, you are doing so under the notion that this is a safe place. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. So you must always be aware and ask lots of questions.

Understanding the warning signs of child abuse and neglect are the best ways for all of us to help minimize this senseless epidemic.

The US Department of Health & Human Services defines Child Abuse as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.” Within this broad definition, most cases of abuse can be categorized in one of four camps:

Neglect: Denying a child access to their most basic needs, either physical (ie: food & water), educational or emotional.
Physical: Physically injuring a child with an act of violence.
Sexual: May include indecent exposure, inappropriate or unwanted touching, and/or illicit photographic materials.
Emotional: Impairing the development of a child through excessive criticism, threats, rejection or personal attack.

In a vast majority of cases, close to 90% by some estimates, child abuse and neglect is perpetrated by an authority figure that the child knows well. The immediate consequences of child abuse, including physical injuries and intense mental anguish, are disturbing enough on their own.

However, the real damage of abuse often does not appear until years after the incident occurs. Individuals that experience some form of abuse or neglect as children are far more likely than their peers to struggle with substance abuse, psychological disorders, criminal behavior and serious health issues including heart disease, liver disease, obesity and cancer.

Familiarizing yourself with the signs of child abuse is one of the best tools at your disposal to help end this epidemic. You can view a checklist of warning signs here, and learn more about the proper way to report incidents of child abuse here.

If a loved one is a victim of abuse or neglect from a trusted establishment, contact The Yost Legal Group today for a free confidential consultation. We’re here to help you through this difficult time.

If we take your case it will be on a no fee or expense basis unless you recover.

Call The Yost Legal Group today and speak to an attorney for a free initial consultation about your case at 1-800-YOST-LAW (1-800-967-8529).

The Yost Legal Group, Helping Fight Clergy Abuse & Other Abuses Against Children.

Tag: Baltimore Child Protection

Police Officers Charged with Child Sexual Abuse Crimes