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JAG Corps, CID ready to fight sexual assault

The Army is taking the fight to soldiers who prey on other soldiers through sexual assault and harassment.

According to the Army, 2.6 soldiers per 1,000 reported a sexual assault in 2007, the latest figures available.

But sexual assault in the Army goes mostly unreported, leaders said, despite a reporting system established in 2005 that provides confidential victim assistance without a requirement for investigation.

Army Secretary Pete Geren announced Jan. 27 he has approved authorizations for 20 new prosecutors in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps — five prosecutor trainers in the Trial Counsel Assistance Program and 15 special victim prosecutors in the largest jurisdictions in the Army.

In addition, Criminal Investigation Command, known as CID, will hire seven more sexual-assault experts who will be assigned to CID headquarters, the Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., at the forensic crime laboratory and one for each regional CID group.

CID will also hire up to 30 special civilian investigators who will be located at 22 major installations with the highest occurrences of sexual assault.

The installations were not identified.

The actions were the latest in a new zero-tolerance effort launched in September.

“We see the crime of sexual assault as a crime that goes beyond just the criminal act. It’s a crime that is repugnant to the values that hold our Army together, a crime that destroys unit cohesion ... and a crime that calls for this type of extraordinary effort,” Geren said.

Beginning in February, he said, Army commanders will also begin receiving sexual-assault prevention kits — with DVDs, posters, an information guide and other materials — to make the Army’s lawyers and all soldiers aware of the problem.

“Our surveys show that at this point, we have a higher rate of reporting than you do in the civilian world, and we believe that if we build the confidence in the soldier in the system that more will feel comfortable coming forward if they know that their cases are going to be handled in a way that’s respectful of their needs,” Geren said.

Last year, an estimated 15 percent of about 9,000 Army investigations involved sexual assault allegations, said Brig. Gen. Rodney Johnson. Of those, 137 cases went to trial. Many cases involved inappropriate comments or other offenses punished by internal disciplinary action instead of criminal charges.

JAG Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Scott Black said many of the Army’s 350 prosecutors have tried sexual assault cases, but, he said, the extra training will enhance their capabilities.

“They’re very difficult cases to try so we can always do better,” he said. “We have not been struggling to manage the cases that we have, but we are concerned about ensuring we’re doing the very best we can to represent the victims’ interests here.”

CID Commander Brig. Gen. Rodney Johnson said CID has sexual assault experts in its ranks, but the addition of more specialists will help broaden expertise.

“We investigate every allegation of sexual assault. There have been no cases that we haven’t investigated because we don’t have the people to do it,” he said.