EDITORIAL

The ugly reality

A more accurate look at city's rape statistics.

Go easy on the messengers: Don't chastise the Philadelphia Police Department for the spike in rape cases it just reported. It doesn't mean officers have suddenly fallen down on the job.

Given the Police Department's history of fudging crime statistics, in fact, its report of a 17 percent jump in the number of rapes by midyear is, in a sense, a positive turn.

For one thing, it means police are giving a truer picture of the dangers Philadelphia-area women face. That's vitally important - because public awareness can be a tactical weapon against rape and other sexual assaults.

With a serial rapist loose who has killed one victim - University of Pennsylvania graduate student Shannon Schieber - the well-publicized manhunt in Center City, while as yet unsuccessful, serves to enhance citizens' defenses against further attacks.

Greater accuracy in reporting sexual assault cases also means it's more likely police are taking more of these cases seriously. There, the hope is that the attention paid will lead to arrests - with a deterrent effect all its own.

The latest statistics on rapes are further proof that Commissioner John F. Timoney is determined to change a police culture that countenanced and even encouraged underreporting of crime for years. Reports of rape and other assaults used to be shunted aside by the thousands, as police - overburdened and under political pressure to portray the city as safe - cooked the books.

Mr. Timoney vows to keep the numbers accurate and to boost the resources and police expertise used to investigate sexual assaults.

On Monday, City Council should expect an update on corrective measures.

One is Mr. Timoney's decision to rotate several dozen detectives through the unit for weeklong training and to station more detectives there regularly.

Council also needs to hear news of the commissioner's review of hundreds of sexual-assault cases that police dismissed or shelved. While that review of five years' cases will take time, its progress should be tracked publicly.

Structural reform of the sex-crimes unit has yet to be addressed. At a minimum, better ways of handling child assaults are needed, as well as a new, more victim-friendly location for the unit.

Mr. Timoney's forward-looking leadership on this issue is welcome. But public pressure needs to be maintained. It's clear that Philadelphia police let the public down badly by burying so many sex crimes. There's a long way to go to repair the damage.