Washington – Allegations of sexual assault in the Army shot up nearly 25 percent during the past five years while problems abounded in the handling of cases, according to an internal report obtained by The Denver Post.
Cases of rape and other sex offenses investigated by Army police climbed from 658 in 1999 to 822 last year, according to the documents, the most comprehensive numbers released yet by military officials.
In the report, an Army task force said it is hard to say how common the problem is because sex crimes are widely unreported.
The report mirrors many of the recommendations proposed recently by a Pentagon task force, whose proposed measures will be outlined today by Pentagon leaders at a hearing of a House Armed Services Committee panel.
But the Army task force delves into greater detail in many of its suggestions.
For example, it advises adding a victim advocate, who would aid rape victims with safety support services, to every battalion. It also suggests that commanders “exercise discretion” before punishing victims for infractions they committed at the time of a rape before an investigation into the assault is complete.
“Some bold strokes are being proposed,” according to a Pentagon source with knowledge of the report. “A lot of work needs to be done.”
In the wake of reports by The Denver Post that sex-assault cases are poorly handled by commanders and investigators, often resulting in retaliation and other pressures for victims, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in February ordered an internal investigation of procedures.
The Army formed its own 19-member investigative panel headed by John McLaurin III, deputy assistant secretary of the Army.
The report lists dozens of recommendations from requiring commanders to report all sexual-assault incidents to fixing backlogs in processing DNA evidence in rape cases, which often takes six months or longer.
The increase in sex assaults noted in the report involved rape, indecent assault and sodomy allegations. It also noted that some reports occurring during that time span were judged to be “unfounded.” For example, of the 783 cases in 2002, 127 were determined to be unfounded, the report said.
Staff writer Miles Moffeit can be reached at 303-820-1415 or mmoffeit@denverpost.com .
