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Your Rapist is on Paid Administrative Leave

By Tafisha A. Edwards

4. Your rapist has elected to continue receiving his bi-weekly paychecks via direct deposit. Your rapist has elected not to cash out his 401K for fear of incurring penalties. Your rapist recently called HR to review his health care coverage—open enrollment will begin in a few short months and coverage options are changing.

 

3. Yes, this police force is committed to protecting the law-abiding citizens within this jurisdiction, but protecting the character of your rapist is also of the utmost importance. This department treats any allegations of wrongdoing at the hands of our officers with the utmost seriousness; however, to be fair, we cannot rush to judgment when our officers are accused of misdeeds by those who posses any or all of the following (select all that apply):

           __a record of drug use __a record of mental disturbances __a history of violence
           __an historical record of accusing officers of using excessive force __an historical
                          record of emotional disturbances__a history of economic hardship
           __low moral character.

This department would never allow the actions of your rapist to reflect upon the entirety of the force. This department will strive to maintain its integrity at all costs.

 

2. During standard psychological evaluations your rapist showed no signs of sociopathy—your rapist despises animal cruelty, harbors no aggression towards his teammates, and is reserved, but at times, humorous. Your rapist is not particularly ambitious but works well with others and presents only his most congenial self to his superiors.

 

1. Your rapist will not become the poster child for bad cops because he's a good man and good men don’t get fired. Your rapist is one of the good ones. His off duty knock on your door keeps the community safe. He watches you watch him in plate glass mirrors, rearview windows, and mirrored pupils; your rapist is personally invested in the movements of women like you.
Added: Friday, July 8, 2016  /  Used with permission.
Tafisha A. Edwards
Photo by Jayda Simmmons.

Tafisha A. Edwards is an interpreter of dreams. She is the author of THE BLOODLET, winner of Phantom Books’ 2016 Breitling Chapbook Prize. Her work has appeared in The Offing, PHANTOM, The Atlas Review, Bodega Magazine, Fjords Review, The Little Patuxent Review, and other print and online publications. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House, a Cave Canem Graduate fellow, and a former educator with the American Poetry Museum. She is the recipient of a Zoland Poetry Fellowship from the Vermont Studio Center and has received scholarships to The Juniper Summer Writing Institute, The Minnesota Northwoods Writers’ Conference and other writing workshops and conferences. She is currently writing her first collection of poetry, Confusing the Wind.

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