Palin, what happened here?

There are some people who think Sarah Palin approved a policy that would make rape victims pay for the police to investigate their own cases. Obviously, this is a horrible policy and a terribly inhuman idea. If Sarah Palin really approved such a policy, it would throw into question her character and judgment. Even if she didn't approve the policy, it would seem this is a pretty big oversight. So what happened?

The evidence seems to suggest that she signed off on a significantly reduced budget that was apparently achieved by making this change: making rape victims pay for their own investigations. There does seem to be evidence from a local newspaper that the policy was implemented. The budget and policy was produced by a one Duwayne Charles Fannon, a Palin-appointed police chief. Palin must have approved the policy the police chief used to reduce the budget, no?

Well, I'm not sure we can know what happened. She certainly approved the budget, but does that mean she approved all the means by which the budget was achieved? Maybe. Should she have known? Yes, of course, she was at least somewhat responsible.

I'm inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt; I don't think if she really knew what the policy was she would have approved of it. But she signed off on the budget. So either she didn't know or she did. Her campaign says this:

Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella said in an e-mail that the governor "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test."

"Gov. Palin's position could not be more clear," she said. "To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice."

What do we make of this? I think a solid judgment either way requires more information. Is there more information about this?