Once you report a crime to the police, you should understand that the case can go forward even without your consent or cooperation. In cases of domestic violence and child abuse in particular, victims or parents of victims sometimes change their minds about wanting to see the offender prosecuted. However, these are serious offenses, and the prosecutor may take the case to trial anyway. A victim advocate can help you sort through your feelings about this issue.
If the police question you, you should talk as honestly and openly about your relationship with the defendant as possible. If you are a survivor of a homicide victim, you also must give open and honest answers about the victim. Withholding background information can hinder the investigation. You may add information to your statement as you remember things more clearly. Tell the police about any items of evidence that may be helpful to the case.
The police officers must remain objective in their investigation and look at all possibilities. Often the police cannot give the victim much information until after they question or arrest a suspect. The police may keep certain information about the crime private, in order to confront a suspect who knows details of the crime only the perpetrator could know.
You may want more information from the police and the prosecutor than they can give. The investigative phase of a crime can be very hard on victims and survivors. This is a good time to call a victim support group for assistance.
In some cases, police identify a suspect but do not have enough evidence to file criminal charges. In other cases a suspect is not immediately identified. Police keep the case files for serious crimes open for a long time. Crimes sometimes are solved long after they occur. The police will not stay in constant contact with you, but you may contact them regularly.
