OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Law enforcement agencies in Nebraska have started using the FBI's definition of sexual assault when recording crime data in order to provide a clearer picture of the state's sexual violence.
The Omaha World-Herald reports the new, broader definition includes same-sex assaults, forcible penetration with an object, female-on-male assaults and an array of other assaults not covered under the previous definition. The old definition's focus was male-on-female assaults.
Police say the new definition will not affect how sex crimes are investigated and prosecuted, because state law already uses a broader definition.
The FBI updated its sexual assault definition in January 2013. The Nebraska Crime Commission told local law enforcement agencies in June 2016 to begin using the broader definition by Jan. 1.
The new definition is expected to show a jump in rape statistics.
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