A Special Victims Unit (SVU) is a specialized division within some

police departments The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

. The

detectives A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

in this division typically investigate

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

s involving

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

or victims of non-sexual crimes who require specialist handling such as the very young, the very

elderly Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

, or the

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

United States

New York City

The

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act i ...

's Special Victims Division investigates sex crimes. It is housed in separate Borough Patrols (Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn). The Special Victims Division only investigates the following types of cases: * Any child under 11 years of age who is the victim of

abuse Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

by a

parent A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...

or person legally responsible for the care of the child. * Any child under 13 years of age who is the victim of any

sex crime Sex and the law deals with the regulation by law of human sexual activity. Sex laws vary from one place or jurisdiction to another, and have varied over time. Unlawful sexual acts are called sex crimes. Some laws regarding sexual activity are ...

or attempted sex crime. * Any victim of

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

(all degrees) or attempted rape (all degrees). * Any victim of a criminal sexual act (all degrees) or attempted criminal sexual act (all degrees). * Victims of aggravated

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

(all degrees). * Victims of sexual abuse 1st degree. They also deal with children, disabled and elderly victims of non-sexual crimes who require special handling. The Special Victims Division does not investigate murder or child pornography cases. Murders are investigated by the precinct detective squad in which the murder was committed and/or the borough homicide squad. Child pornography cases are investigated by various computer crime squads and task forces. Robberies are investigated by precinct detective squads and/or borough robbery squads. If a sex crime is involved, the Special Victims Division may assist in the investigation.

In popular culture

The American television show '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', the first

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

in the ''Law & Order'' franchise, follows the cases of a fictional

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

SVU division. Another U.S. television show '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' makes references to the Sex Crimes Unit, another name for Special Victims Unit.

United States

New York City

In popular culture

See also