Sex Crimes head reassigned after comments about U. case

The head of the Philadelphia Police Sex Crimes unit was reassigned this weekend for questioning in a television interview the story a Bryn Mawr student told about her reported abduction near the University campus, Philadelphia Police officials said this weekend. Captain Richard Bullick, who has been with the Philadelphia Police Department since 1971, will be transferred to the department's Management Review Bureau today because of the remarks he made during a local news interview. Bullick's comments were made days after the student reported being abducted at gunpoint in her car while waiting on Walnut Street near 39th Street. The student told police her attacker forced her to go to her Bryn Mawr dormitory and to withdraw money from an automatic teller. His comments were broadcast November 7 as part of a story on the incident on WCAU-TV (Channel 10). "She's saying a lot of things that went on in the car," Bullick told WCAU reporter Andrew Glassman. "She's driving to 80 miles an hour having sex with the guy," Bullick said. "A little Nissan? I couldn't do it, maybe she could, I don't know." The camera then cut away to a different shot and Bullick said, "And if there was sex, it doesn't mean it was forced sex. So its all these things we have to look into before we come to a conclusion. But, you know, I'm skeptical at the beginning of the investigation." Glassman then asked Bullick, "You're skeptical at the beginning of this investigation?" Bullick said, "Well . . . well, as we are now, I'm a little skeptical about it." Bullick began another sentence, but Glassman interrupted and asked, "Is that how it is most of the time or it's just the nature of this story?" Bullick replied, "Sometimes, some are more hard . . . some are harder to believe than others." Later in the story, Glassman reported Bullick called him after the interview to say he did not want to sound insensitive. The report then showed Bullick giving an "official" statement that no decision about the facts in the case had been made. Philadelphia Police spokesperson Theresa Young told The Philadelphia Inquirer Friday that Police Commissioner Willie Williams did not think Bullick's comments were intended to be malicious. But Young added that "the resulting impact was that the Police Department was viewed as insensitive to crime victims." A Channel 10 spokesman would not discuss the report, adding that it is against the station's policy to discuss such matters. Bullick will be replaced by Captain Eileen Bonner, a 14-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police force, who will leave her post as the head of the Career Services Unit. Staff writer Damon Chetson contributed to this story.

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