Documents obtained by The New York Times reveal that the campus police at Cornell University submitted a statement to a prosecutor that omitted a key detail from a student's account of an assault: her claim that she was raped.

The omission occurred in a case where a student reported being assaulted by another student. The condensed statement provided to the Tompkins County District Attorney's office did not include the accuser's assertion of sexual assault, leading prosecutors to decline to bring charges.

According to the report, the student had initially told Cornell police that she was raped. However, the written statement provided to the district attorney's office, which was intended to summarize the findings of the police investigation, only mentioned that the student reported being physically assaulted.

This selective reporting by the police has significant implications for the judicial process. By not including the allegation of rape, the district attorney's office was not presented with the full scope of the alleged crime, potentially influencing their decision to prosecute.

Legal experts note that the accuracy and completeness of police reports are crucial for prosecutors in determining whether sufficient evidence exists to file charges. In cases involving sexual assault, such details can be particularly vital for establishing the nature and severity of the alleged offense.

The decision not to pursue charges, based on the information presented, raises questions about the thoroughness of the police investigation and the clarity of communication between the university's police department and the local prosecutor's office. The district attorney's office stated that they declined to prosecute based on the information provided to them.

While the source material does not detail the specific timeline of events or the exact wording of the original police report versus the statement sent to the prosecutor, the discrepancy highlights a critical juncture in how alleged crimes are presented to the justice system. The accuser's full account, including the rape allegation, was not conveyed to the prosecutor's office in the submitted statement.

This situation underscores the challenges and potential pitfalls in the reporting and prosecution of sexual assault cases, particularly on college campuses where university police often play a primary investigative role before cases are handed over to external prosecutorial bodies.