08 Oct Q&A: Antioch Police Addresses Rise in Rapes Linked to Dating Apps and Drugging

(Image courtesy of Antioch Police Department via Bay City News)

Interview, Malcolm Marshall 

Editor’s note: At the Sept. 15 meeting of the Antioch Police Oversight Commission, Police Chief Joe Vigil said there has been “a spike” in reported rapes involving victims who were drugged and meetings that began through online dating apps. Antioch has recorded 33 rapes through the end of August, according to crime statistics on the city’s website. To learn more, The Pulse spoke with Antioch Police Lt. Bill Whitaker, who oversees the investigations division, about what’s driving this rise in sexual assault and how the department is responding. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.  

Contra Costa Pulse: We’ve seen a reported increase in rape cases involving drugging and online dating platforms. Can you describe what trends you’re seeing in Antioch? 

Lt. Bill Whitaker: We just did a year-over-year comparison, and there was an increase. The City Council requested we look into why there was an increase. And based on our research, the only thing that we could really see was there was an increase in reporting from meeting people using an application, as well as there were a couple other ones that were somebody was drugged at a bar or a house, typically in their drink. 

Contra Costa Pulse: Are there particular apps or platforms that seem to come up more often in victim reports? 

Whitaker: I would say no. I mean, it’s just your basic Tinder, Grindr. There’s another one called Meet that we’ve seen. Those are just kind of the main dating apps that we’ve seen being used.  

Contra Costa Pulse: How are these cases typically reported, and are victims usually aware that drugs may have been involved?  

Whitaker: Typically, they’re reported by the victim the next day, when they wake up and feel groggy and then have some inkling that there was a sexual assault. 

Contra Costa Pulse: What are some challenges investigators face when trying to build cases involving drug-facilitated sexual assault or incidents that start online? 

Whitaker: Just the technology.  People are a little more technologically advanced than, say, last year and next year, there’ll be even more so. So trying to keep up with the technology, people using false phone numbers, names, emails when they sign up for these apps. 

Contra Costa Pulse: Has the department done any outreach or public education efforts in response to these emerging threats? 

Whitaker: We put out a public service announcement [on Instagram and Facebook] with just some basic information, just for the general public to understand the dangers of drinking at bars, using these apps and some ways to minimize risk or prevent any kind of sexual assault. And that was a follow up with the chief’s report to the [commission] that was done for the community as a whole. 

Contra Costa Pulse: What advice would you give to the community, especially young people, about staying safe when using dating apps or meeting someone for the first time? 

Whitaker: Have a security plan. Make sure somebody that you’re close with knows where you’re meeting somebody. Have check-in times, things like that. All of the bars are required to have a fentanyl test strip now by the state of California. And if you believe there’s any way that your drink could have been compromised, please check it by using the test strips in the bars and restaurants.  

Below are safety tips shared by the Antioch Police Department on Facebook: 

• Never leave your drink unattended, and only accept drinks you see poured or opened
• Use the buddy system. Look out for friends and check in with each other.
• Share your location with a trusted friend when going out or meeting someone new.
• Have a safe way to get home thatdoesn’trely on someone you just met. 
• Ask for a drug testing kit at bars. AB 1013 requires bars in California to provide tests to detect date-rape drugs