Boston police received 47 reports of drink spiking in the city during the first six months of the year, according to data provided to the Herald.
That comes as lawmakers on Beacon Hill are sorting through legislative responses to what has been described as an “alarming” situation after 116 reports came into the Boston Police Department last year. And department officials have said they are concerned about a “real threat” to the public.
Drinking spiking incidents have permeated the United States “for quite some time now,” said Shannon Hogan, the sexual assault kit initiative site director for the Boston Police Department.
Boston police “continue to learn more and take action” as they partner with their licensing unit, work to track incidents, raise public awareness, and offer an option to report drink spiking on police reports,” Hogan said earlier this week at a legislative hearing.
“While such documented occurrences of the use of these drugs or ‘roofies’ in the U.S. date back to the early 1990s, a recent resurgence of these crimes have been identified along with the explosion of synthetic drugs,” Hogan said.
Boston police spokesman Sergeant Detective John Boyle said the addition of a checkbox on police reports allows the department to easily track incidents of drink spiking.
Hogan said the lack of date rape drug testing protocols at hospitals that can provide clarity to victims and the public “have left survivors to navigate an unclear system without solutions or support.”
“The time has come to remove the misconceptions and stigma surrounding these types of crimes from the dark and murky place and put it into the light,” Hogan said. “Equipping our hospitals with the ability to test for these drugs and, overall, provide law enforcement with the necessary tools during these investigations, as well as collecting valid and reliable data, will result in clarity surrounding these crimes and assist us in holding these vendors accountable.”
Boyle said the department also “periodically” broadcasts community alerts reminding the public of the dangers of scentless, colorless, and tasteless drugs like Rohypnol, also known as a roofie.
“These drugs and substances can cause disorientation, confusion, temporary paralysis, or unconsciousness, along with a host of other symptoms, leaving the potential victim vulnerable to the intentions of the suspect,” one recent community alert said.
And at least one Foxborough Democrat is taking aim at testing protocols at hospitals to make it easier for anyone to find out if they have been drugged or had their drink spiked.
Sen. Paul Feeney filed legislation that would require hospitals to develop and implement a testing standard for patients who report they have been involuntarily drugged, regardless if sexual assault had occurred.
Feeney’s bill, which is before the Legislature’s Public Health Committee, also requires the Department of Public Health to create a Date Rape Drug Response and Intervention Task Force to figure out how to best collect data on confirmed drink spiking incidents.
Feeney is also behind a successful push to add funding to the state Senate’s fiscal 2024 budget to hand out drink spiking test kits to bars, restaurants, and nightclubs.
