Wisconsin Seeing Movement Regarding Sexual Assault in the National Guard

Thursday, August 11th, 2022 -- 2:01 PM

(Leah Treidler, Wisconsin Public Radio) After years of controversy around sexual assault and harassment in the Wisconsin National Guard, the state Legislature may address the mismanagement of allegations.

According to Leah Treidler of Wisconsin Public Radio, the Legislative Council Study Committee on Wisconsin National Guard Sexual Misconduct Procedures held its first meeting Tuesday, beginning its work to draw up recommendations for legislation to improve procedures for investigating sexual assault and harassment allegations in the Guard.

At the meeting, Guard officials pointed to recent reforms it made after a 2019 study found procedures for handling misconduct accusations were, in many ways, "deficient or failing."

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Gov. Tony Evers requested the study in 2019 after a whistleblower contacted Baldwin's office about six alleged cases of assault and harassment against women in the state's 115th Fighter Wing.

The probe, conducted by the Office of Complex Investigations, revealed the Guard, in many cases, failed to keep survivors updated on their cases and didn't prioritize their needs and interests.

It also found employees lacked necessary training, cases weren’t properly tracked and the office for handling allegations was understaffed, all of which slowed investigations.

"I can say that we have filled those positions, and we have people that are trained and being certified and re-certified in those roles. And we continue to grow," said Col. Douglas Moore at the meeting.

They’ve implemented broad reforms, Moore said, like continuously updating survivors on their cases and individually training senior leaders on how to handle sexual misconduct allegations. But the number of cases has risen since 2019, Moore said.

"A lot of times, people look at numbers and say the numbers are going up, and the assumption is that's a bad thing," he said. "I think in a situation involving sexual assaults and harassment and things of that nature, that it's maybe a positive thing that service members are feeling comfortable ... coming forward, knowing that things will be done."

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