DALLAS, Ga. — All Christian Parks said she wanted was justice.
"He knows what he did," she said through tears.
At 19 years old, Parks filed a report with Dallas, Georgia Police saying her boyfriend sexually assaulted her.
"He did stop and say he was sorry after, much after I said, 'No, please stop,'" Parks recalled.
Dallas Police closed her case, saying the case lacked evidence. Christian knew her case was closed, but she didn't know police also marked her case "exceptionally cleared."
What is Exceptional Clearance?
Exceptional clearance is something police can use to clear a case when they can't arrest a suspect for reasons beyond their control. For example, the suspect is dead, is already in prison, or the victim no longer wants to pursue charges.
But first, police must identify who and where the suspect is and have enough evidence to make an arrest. That means Christian's case could not be exceptionally cleared, but police did it anyway.
"That makes me so mad," Christian said when 11Alive explained to her how her case was marked.
Retired police sergeant and expert on exceptional clearance Liz Donegan said misusing exceptional clearance is a big deal.
"The public is under the false impression that we have solved a crime and a rapist has been held accountable," she said.
That's because, in policing, a case marked exceptionally cleared appears the same as one solved by arrest. Yet, in reality, the suspect is still out there.
Incorrect markings are common
Our investigation found Christian's case isn't the only one mismarked by Dallas Police. In fact, all four of the department's exceptionally cleared rape and sexual assault cases reported in 2021 were incorrectly given that label.
11Alive investigators contacted Dallas Police about our findings and the department admitted it made a mistake. Those four cases are now marked "inactive." This means the case no longer looks solved, and it can be reopened if more evidence comes to light.
Afterward, Dallas Police did not return our multiple requests for an on-camera interview.
Meanwhile, Christian said something needs to change.
"They (the suspect) get to continue to live their lives. They don’t have to go to therapy and relive those moments," she said. "They don’t have to think about it."
It's happening across the state
Our investigation doesn't end here, and it doesn't stop in Dallas, Georgia.
11Alive investigators researched this issue for more than a year and uncovered many departments are misusing exceptional clearance. It gives the appearance that rape cases across the state are being solved at a higher rate than they actually are.