Early Political Career of Sarah Palin - First Term As Mayor - Police Department Matters - HB 270

HB 270

In 2000, state legislators in Alaska learned that some police agencies were charging rape victims or their insurance companies for forensic medical examination necessary to gather evidence, which can cost $500 to $1200. A bill was proposed to require police departments to cover the cost of the exams and became law later the same year. Fannon responded to the new law by expressing concern about the cost of the rape kits, stating "In the past we've charged the cost of exams to the victim's insurance company when possible. I just don't want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer....Ultimately it is the criminal who should bear the burden of the added costs.". The City of Wasilla Office of the Mayor reported searching records extending "back to the beginning of fiscal year 2000", and "found no record of sexual assault victims billed for forensic exams".

The Wasilla newspaper, The Frontiersman, conducted an e-mail interview with Palin, comprising fourteen questions:

(Frontiersman)"6. During your tenure as mayor in 2000, then police chief Charlie Fannon commented in a May 23, 2000 Frontiersman article about legislation Gov. Tony Knowles signed protecting victims of sexual assault from being billed for rape kits collected by police as part of their investigations. Fannon revealed then that Knowles’ decision would cost Wasilla $5,000 to $14,000 a year, insinuating that the department’s policy was to bill victims for this testing. During your tenure as Mayor, what was the police department and city’s standard operating procedure in recovering costs of rape kits? Were any sexual assault victims ever charged for this testing while you were mayor?"
(Palin)"The entire notion of making a victim of a crime pay for anything is crazy. I do not believe, nor have I ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test. As governor, I worked in a variety of ways to tackle the problem of sexual assault and rape, including making domestic violence a priority of my administration."

Also in 2008, Palin's spokeswoman reiterated her response, adding, "Gov. Palin's position could not be more clear. To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice."