Impartiality is the bedrock of the American legal system. Countless legal opinions have highlighted this principle. Unfortunately, the "Start By Believing" manual instructs officers to:

• Emphasize witness statements that “corroborate the victim’s account.” (page 6)

• Make the complainant “appear more innocent.” (page 14)

• Assure the investigative report uses the “language of non-consensual sex” (page 15)

• Make sure the incident does “not look like a consensual sexual experience” (pages 16-17)

Such blatant bias is likely to subject investigators to charges of unfairness, and cause prosecutors to lose cases because the impartiality of the investigation has been impeached. Not to mention the enormous harm caused to the falsely accused.

Law enforcement officers should not be asked to assume the perspective of mental health workers. Police investigators should follow the dictum, "Only the facts, ma'am," not "Start by Believing."