Mass. lawmakers suggest changes to police handling of rape cases after WBUR investigation

Several state lawmakers say Massachusetts law enforcement needs to more aggressively pursue sexual assault cases. This comes on the heels of a WBUR investigation into how authorities failed to arrest an alleged serial rapist for years, despite DNA evidence.

Legislators say potential improvements could include launching a new statewide sexual assault unit, forcing police to disclose more information about rape reports and expanding the state’s DNA database.

WBUR's investigation found police and prosecutors repeatedly declined to arrest or charge a former Uber driver, Alvin Campbell Jr., despite a string of women reporting assaults from 2016 to 2018, with DNA evidence pointing to Campbell.

Boston police finally arrested Campbell after a fifth victim came forward in 2019 – and even she complained in text messages summarized in court documents that police "were not helpful" initially.

Campbell, the brother of Attorney General Andrea Campbell, is now in jail awaiting trial on charges of raping eight women and attempting to rape a ninth. He has pleaded not guilty on all charges. He has also been linked by DNA evidence to two other rapes, according to a search warrant application. WBUR found 10 of the attacks allegedly occurred after the first woman went to police.

“My initial reaction is just frustration on behalf of all survivors who report their sexual violence to law enforcement,” said Leominster Rep. Natalie Higgins, a Democrat who co-chairs the Caucus of Women Legislators’ task force on sexual violence.

Nationally, only one in five people accused of sexual assault is ever arrested, and even fewer are convicted, according to a study sponsored by the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Some outside observers questioned whether authorities may have been hesitant to arrest Campbell because he has a prominent sister. Andrea Campbell was a Boston city councilor at the time of her brother's alleged crimes. She told WBUR in a statement she would “never interfere with or influence any investigation, especially one involving such serious allegations.” A spokeswoman said she has had no contact with law enforcement about the investigation or prosecution.

Both Medford police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said the family relationship was not a factor in their response. Boston police declined to answer questions about the story.

Higgins, the state representative, said the case shows that Massachusetts could use a statewide team to help local departments and track down serial offenders who have crossed city or county lines to attack victims. Some other states, like Rhode Island and New Hampshire, already have similar units.

“I think this case really highlights the need for this,” she said.

Higgins said members of the women’s caucus are researching legislation and lobbying Gov. Maura Healey’s administration to take executive action. A spokesperson for Healey said the governor would review “any legislation that reaches her desk.”

WBUR reported police also invoked the state’s sweeping privacy laws to withhold documents about how they handled the investigation, making it harder to know why police took so long to arrest Campbell. Massachusetts is the only state in the country that requires police to withhold all arrests and reports involving sexual and domestic violence.

Some police departments also say the law bars them from telling the public about attacks. Quincy, for instance, said it recorded six unsolved rape cases from 2019 to 2021, but never notified residents and claims it can't reveal details because of the law.

House Republican Leader Brad Jones said he was concerned about “the constraints of the law" in terms of notifying the public and sharing information.

“That stood out to me because that's something that maybe is ripe for change,” he said.

Westfield state Sen. John Velis filed a bill last year that would create a task force to review the statute and make recommendations. The proposal was sent to study in February, effectively killing the bill for the session. Velis said he intends to re-file the bill in the next session, which begins in January.

He noted that other states have found ways to safeguard victims’ privacy, such as redacting their names and other identifying information from documents, instead of withholding everything from the public. “I think that’s the right balance,” Velis said.

Some lawmakers, including Jones and Higgins, also support a bill to ensure the state’s DNA database of convicted offenders is up-to-date and regularly audited. Legislators say the state failed to collect DNA from 10,000 to 15,000 people who are supposed to be in the database. Supporters say expanding the database could make it easier to solve rapes and other cold cases.

In Campbell's case, police already had his DNA on file because he had cycled in and out of prison on past assault and gun charges.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declined last month to explain why Boston waited years to arrest Campbell, citing the ongoing criminal proceedings and the state privacy laws.

“Ultimately the law is right now that those documents and that information is shielded from public records,” she said in an interview with WBUR’s Radio Boston.

Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune also declined comment through a spokesperson.

Campbell has not been charged in two of the alleged rapes where DNA identified him as a suspect, including one in Medford in 2018. Medford police did not provide an explanation.

In Medford, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn’s office declined to comment and Medford City Council President Isaac "Zac" Bears did not return messages left with his office.

The state attorney general’s office, which has a new police accountability unit, declined to say whether it planned to examine how police and prosecutors handled the allegations against Alvin Campbell. Executive Office of Public Safety and Security spokesman Tim McGuirk said his state agency does not have statutory authority over municipal police investigations.

The attorney general’s office said Andrea Campbell has recused herself from her brother’s case and that the prosecution has her “unreserved support.” Alvin Campbell’s trial is currently scheduled to begin in December.

Higgins, the state representative from Leominster, said she’d like to think that “all of our departments are doing everything that they can to seek justice for survivors.”

But, she said, “we are met with story after story where that's not the case.”