The rise of the roofie
Reports of date-rape drugs rise dramatically in region

Late-night revelers dance at a local bar recently. According to local law enforcement, the incidence of date-rape drug sexual assault has risen in the last few months. As a result, local sexual assault repvention and vicitm advocacy groups have banded with police to try to net perpetrators, sending the message that such behavior, whether facilitated by drug sor alcohol, is not only unacceptabel but illegal./Photo by David Halterman

by Anna Lauer

(Editor’s note: Anna Lauer is the education coordinator for Archuleta County Victim Assistance Program.)

Reports of the use of date-rape drugs are on the rise in the area, with local victim advocacy organizations and law enforcement agencies pledging to stem the problem by going after the perpetrators. The Violence Prevention Coalition of Southwest Colorado (VPC), made up of various agencies including the Sexual Assault Services Organization in Durango and the Archuleta County Victim Assistance Program, is working to support law enforcement in seeking out suspects in local bars and other areas.

“We’ve had enough reports that we believe that someone, or several persons are in our community administering these drugs,” said Sgt. Rita Warfield, who oversees the Investigations Bureau for the Durango Police Department.

According to the VPC, in the past two months, law enforcement in Archuleta and La Plata County have experienced dramatically increased reports of sexual assault involving “date rape drugs,” which include gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), ketamine (“Special K” or “K”) and rohypnol (“roofies”) and others. Often, these tasteless and odorless drugs are slipped into victims’ drinks without their knowledge in order to incapacitate them, rendering them unable to give sexual consent.

Dawn Haney, executive director of Durango’s Sexual Assault Services Organization (SASO) said since September, her organization has had at least five reported cases involving the characteristics of date-rape drugs, such as unexplained memory loss, distorted perceptions and the loss of coordination. In the same time period, Archuleta County Victim Assistance Program (ACVAP) received at least one report of drug-facilitated sexual assault, according to Executive Director Carmen Hubbs.

“In a community of this size, that’s enough of a pattern to say that something is going on,” said SASO’s Haney.

Despite the apparent rise of synthetic drugs, Warfield noted that the single-most common drug involved in sexual assault, which may come as a surprise to some, remains alcohol.

And while educating people on these facts is important, Stacy Kellogg, crisis services and development director for Alternative Horizons in Durango, said date rape drug-awareness campaigns can fall short by focusing on victims, such as one she recalls from when she attended CU Boulder. “The CU Rape and Gender Education Program volunteers were handing out these coasters with a printed message to potential victims to ‘watch their drinks.’” For Kellogg, this message was missing the point – or more precisely, the perpetrators. “We should be focusing on those who are perpetrating rape, not the victims or survivors. We should be telling the rapists that this kind of behavior is unacceptable,” she said. “Focusing on victims perpetuates victim-blaming, and it takes responsibility off of the perpetrators who are causing the violence.”

So, to anyone who imagines that administering date-rape drugs, including alcohol alone, is a good idea, the Violence Prevention Coalition warns: We know you’re out there, and we’re making it our goal to find you and hold you accountable.

“The sheriff’s department is actively investigating these reports,” said Warfield. “We have investigators in the bars trying to identify suspects. And in fact, we already have a sketch and information about one suspect.”

She added that sexual assault in which alcohol has impaired a victim’s ability to make free and clear choices is a punishable crime. Under state law, giving drugs to someone without his or her knowledge and consent is a crime, as is having sex with a person who is unable to give his or her consent for any reason – including inebriation from alcohol. Drug-facilitated sexual assault is a felony, and if arrested, individuals can face multiple charges including sexual assault, possession of illegal substances and kidnapping. Warfield said individuals also can be investigated for prior cases they may have been involved with. “We take it very seriously,” she said.

For those who don’t believe alcohol is a drug, SASO’s Haney added, “We have absolutely convicted rapists who have used alcohol as their date rape drug. Absolutely.”

Despite the convictions, sexual assault, especially drug-facilitated rape, is an underreported crime. According to some estimates, in the Unites States, nearly 3 million women will be victims of drug-facilitated rape in their lifetimes. During the past year, an estimated 200,000 women experienced drug-facilitated rape, and about 300,000 experienced incapacitated rape, according to a February report, “Drug-Facilitated, Incapacitated and Forcible Rape: A National Study,” by the Medical University of South Carolina. “One of the more striking findings … is that only 16 percent of all rapes are reported to law enforcement,” the report states. “Notably, victims of drug-facilitated or incapacitated rape were somewhat less likely to report to the authorities than victims of forcible rape.”

And that is precisely what troubles local service organizations. Although they have received a numerous calls regarding sexual abuse, they fear the reality is that the numbers are probably much higher than anyone knows. •