Paulaprimo, I WAS a cop, for 12 years in NYC.
The number of criminal assaults that go unreported ( for whatever reason the victim has) is, by its very nature, unknowable. My opinion, damn me for it if you will, is that by reporting a crime, you increase the likelihood of *that* particular criminal being caught and punished. And, by reporting it, you *may* be helping to build a stronger case against a particular creep. Judges tend to levy stiffer sentences if they know a defendant has a long list of crimes.
The system is by far from perfect, but it's the only one we have. Citizens can help to make it work, or help to clog it up.
