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"Pattern Seventeen"
SVU, Episode 16.09
Production number: 16009
First aired (US): 10 December 2014
First aired (UK): 14 December 2014
First aired (CAN): 10 December 2014
First aired (AUS): 13 April 2015
  th of 502 produced in SVU  
th of 502 released in SVU
  th of 1271 released in all  
Pattern17
Written By
Kevin Fox

Directed By
Martha Mitchell

A serial rapist strikes in several cities where the rape kit backlog stalls the investigation.

Summary[]

When a series of young, petite girls are assaulted in the early morning hours, Detective Rollins matches the pattern to several rapes she worked in Atlanta. When she finds that the victims' rape kits were never tested, Atlanta SVU Chief Patton claims none of the cases were worth pursuing. Intense media scrutiny and the lack of a suspect brings the heat down on Sgt. Benson, who has to face Chief Dodds and their commanders in a CompStat briefing. Meanwhile, a family court judge threatens to remove baby Noah from Benson's care.

Plot[]

Beth is outraged by the cops' accusations against Beck, despite her mother telling her that he is a predator. Rollins tells them that they went through her phone, so they know that she has been in contact with him. Beth still refuses to help before Rollins informs her that her selfies are classified as child pornography and they can charge her. Following up, Benson tells the stunned Beth because she sent those images, she could be charged with distributing child porn. Stunned, Beth looks to her mother for help while she is equally shocked, especially when informed she could be charged as well because it was in her name.

Forced to cooperate, Beth goes to the park and Beck is lured out, while SVU are surrounding the area. Unaware she is being used by SVU, Beck asks how she got away from her nagging mother while trying to flirt with her, but Beth tells him to run. After he understands, he tries to flee while chased by Carisi, Rollins, and other officers but is subdued by Detective Tutuola and arrested.

At the precinct, Beck is humming in the interrogation room while it is confirmed Beck is the rapist because of bite marks on his legs and the DNA matching the blood. However, because of the untested rape kits in the police departments out of state, the team has only the Atlanta and New York City rapes to charge him with. The detectives note on other rapes that match his MO and decide to get a confession while Benson questions why he would fess up when there's nothing in it but Fin voices how she never knows. As a result, Beck is interrogated by Fin and Carisi, he refuses to talk to them, but Fin says it doesn't matter because he is done and doesn't know. Fin leaves while Carisi tells Beck that they will be charging him with Ryann's attempted rape only, which will be known to the other inmates in prison, rather his rape spree of eluding the cops. Realizing he will never be safe in prison with a pedophile tag, Beck stops Carisi from leaving and agrees to write a confession to all of his rapes. In total, he discloses 28 out-of-state rapes, as Benson compliments Fin on his strategy and Fin says he had help with the new guy who did alright.

During a CompStat meeting, Benson addresses the problem of underfunded departments and the backlog of untested rape kits, which would have prevented the New York attacks had it been addressed earlier.

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Recurring cast[]

Guest cast[]

References[]

Quotes[]

Abraham: So, it sounds like communication with these other police departments needs to improve.
Dodds: If I may, with all due respect, the problem is not communication, Hank. There is a national rape kit backlog issue here that needs to be addressed. [to Benson] Sergeant.
Benson: We did catch the pattern seventeen rapist within one week after his first assault here. But the brutal truth is that all of the New York assaults could have should have been prevented. Albert Beck is a career rapist who has moved from state to state, year after year. But because many cities have underfunded departments and many cities do not regard crimes against women seriously, they never tested thousands of their rape kits. What is the point of having a national DNA database if the rapist's DNA is never entered into it?

Background information and notes[]

Episode scene cards[]

1 2 3 4

Leonard Bernstein
High School
360 West 48th Street
Monday, December 1

Evidence Storage
Atlanta Police Department
Precinct Zone 8
Atlanta, Georgia
Monday, December 1

Residence of
Ashley Miller
108 Sunset Avenue NW
Atlanta, Georgia
Tuesday, December 2

Staff Parking Garage
Mercy Hospital
365 West 32nd Street
Wednesday, December 3

5 6 7

Family Court
Part 21
Thursday, December 4

Residence of
Lauren and Beth Burns
34-47 205th Street
Queens, New York
Thursday, December 4

Chambers of
Judge Linden
60 Lafayette Street
Friday, December 5

Previous episode:
"Spousal Privilege"
"Pattern Seventeen"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Season 16
Next episode:
"Forgiving Rollins"
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