San Jose police say rideshare companies, such as Uber and Lyft, are not forwarding reports of sexual assaults they receive, and city leaders want to change that.
Zelia, a Lyft driver who was allegedly attacked by a passenger, is still recovering and is hopeful a proposed new law, aimed at aiding victims and tracking down predators, will help.
In a statement to NBC Bay Area, she said she received “no emotional or financial support from the company and that new training only gives drivers a false sense of being protected.”
On Thursday, San Jose's mayor, district attorney and representatives of the police department said the new law, if approved, will help by, first, forcing rideshare companies to share information on their own sexual assault investigations with law enforcement.
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“Survivors were already reporting their victimization,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo. “They were simply sharing that victimization with a complete stranger working for a corporation like Uber or Lyft.”
“And we looked to see how many cases in our county that Uber or Lyft contacted us to report that there was a sexual assault in one of their cars and the answer was zero,” said District Attorney Jeff Rosen.
The group emphasized the law is geared to protecting victims and their privacy.
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“Mandatory reporting to law enforcement does not require an investigation. Survivors will always have the final say in their involvement,” said SJPD Deputy Chief Elle Washburn.
Uber sent the following statement to NBC Bay Area:
“We are clear with survivors that contacting police is their choice to make—and if they decide to go to the police, we have dedicated teams ready to support both them and law enforcement. This position is guided by the foremost experts on this issue and by survivors themselves, all of whom have consistently told us that assuming someone wants the police involved, or pressuring them to do so, risks retraumatizing them.
To insinuate that Uber somehow misleads survivors or benefits financially or reputationally from our approach is categorically false. We have talked openly about these issues and led the industry to disclose detailed data not because it was easy, but because it was the right thing to do.
We’ve offered to work with the Mayor and DA to address their concerns, but they have consistently maintained their desire for Uber to automatically report survivor names, contact information and deeply personal details to police without their consent which goes against the advice of local and national victim advocates and takes away their power of choice."
NBC Bay Area reached out to Lyft but did not hear back.
Liccardo plans to introduce the proposal to a city council committee next week with a possible vote next month after he has left office.
