The study used a stratified sampling technique, with oversampling of female police officers. The participants included 212 police officers from the Queensland Police Service. Each officer reviewed a vignette that depicted an acquaintance rape. The vignette systematically varied in the consumption of two beverages, beer and cola, by both the victim and the perpetrator. Results indicated that the officer’s perception of the complainants intoxication level, as well as the officer’s gender, influenced officers’ assessments of the alleged sexual assault. The negativity of the police perceptions increased as the complainant’s perceived intoxication increased. Female police officers assessed the victim more favorably than did male police officers. However, the only factors related to the officers’ likelihood of charging the perpetrator involved their assessment of the complainant’s credibility and their perception of the likelihood that the perpetrator would be determined to be guilty in a court of law. Findings underscored the need for additional research on police decision making in this area, because police officers’ judgments are likely to influence the vigor with which they deal with a case, how they interview the alleged offender, and other actions. Tables, appended table, and 41 references (Author abstract modified)