Senior Female AFA Officer To Watch Over Sex Assault Cases
POSTED: 5:28 am MST March 28,
2003
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- One of the new female senior officers at the Air Force Academy will watch over every sexual-assault case to ensure each is handled properly, the Air Force chief of staff said.
Col. Debra Gray, the incoming vice commandant of cadets and a 1980 academy graduate, is to arrive next month.
"Her job will include ombudsman type of duties where she will have a staff that includes medics and lawyers, first responders, so that anyone who does come forward will have an advocate right off the bat," said Gen. John Jumper, the highest-ranking officer in the Air Force. In past years, cadets could opt to report assaults by anonymously calling the cadet-staffed program CASIE, or Cadets Advocating Sexual Integrity and Education. Because no names were involved, some cases were never prosecuted, Jumper said. The Air Force's top general was at the academy Thursday to attend a memorial service for retired Gen. Robert Dixon, 82. A day earlier, Jumper and Air Force Secretary James Roche announced five top officers at the academy were being reassigned and that various policies were changing. The announcement followed an internal investigation after dozens of women said they were assaulted or raped at the academy and then punished, shunned or ignored for doing so. The Air Force said 56 women have reported sexual assaults over the past 10 years. Reforms will include "clustering" women cadets in coed dorms, stricter dorm rules, and amnesty for victims to ensure they don't get punished for infractions such as drinking when they report an assault. Jumper said that in the past, victims often didn't find out what happened to their allegations and attackers because of how privacy rules were interpreted. "That tells me that we've got a system that first of all has gotten bad advice from lawyers," Jumper said. "To say that I can't come back and communicate with you the status of the investigation that you've gotten started is, to me, silly." Jumper said he and Roche decided to bring in a new leadership team at the academy to address long-standing cultural and climate problems. He urged cadets to come forward if they have information on sexual assaults at the academy. "We have begged for the people to come forward with the facts," he said. "What are they afraid of? The climate has now changed. Were saying we want to fix this, and we want the cadets to be a part of it."Additional Info:
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Other 7NEWS Investigations Previous Stories:
- March 27, 2003: Top AFA Leaders To Be Replaced
- March 26, 2003: Sweeping Changes Proposed At Air Force Academy
- March 24, 2003: Senators Call For Leadership Change At Air Force Academy
- March 21, 2003: More Changes Proposed At Air Force Academy
- March 19, 2003: Report: Top Air Force Academy Officials To Leave
- March 18, 2003: Third Team To Investigate Air Force Academy Rape Scandal
- March 14, 2003: Air Force Has Not Court-Martialed For Cadet-On-Cadet Assaults
- March 12, 2003: Both Teams Of Investigators Now At AFA
- March 11, 2003: Report: Academy Cadets To Be Separated
- March 10, 2003: Bush 'Concerned' About AFA Rape Allegations
- March 10, 2003: Air Force Chief Of Staff: Female Cadets Are Safe Here
- March 6, 2003: Air Force Secretary: 54 Cases Of Rape, Assault, At AFA
- March 6, 2003: Top AFA Officers Must Go, Tancredo Says
- March 5, 2003: Air Force Investigative Team Returns To Springs
- March 4, 2003: Allard Hopes Air Force Investigation Not Just PR Move
- March 1, 2003: Air Force Family Betrayed After Daughter's Rape
- February 28, 2003: More AFA Victims Come Forward As Roche Speaks To Cadets
- February 27, 2003: Secretary Of Air Force Promises Change At AFA
- February 26, 2003: Senators, Chairman Call For Independent AFA Rape Investigation
- February 25, 2003: 3 Senators Ask For Independent Investigation Of AFA Rapes
- February 24, 2003: Air Force Opens Phone Line For Academy Rape Victims
- February 21, 2003: Allard May Ask For Senate Hearing Into AFA Rape Case
- February 20, 2003: 7NEWS Investigates: Air Force Academy's Amnesty Clause
- February 18, 2003: Academy Superintendent Responds To 7NEWS' Rape Investigation
- February 17, 2003: 7NEWS Investigates: Victims Of Academy Rapes Speak Up, Punished
- February 14, 2003: 7NEWS Investigates: Rape Victims At Air Force Academy Afraid To Report
- February 13, 2003: 7NEWS Investigates: Honor, Code, Betrayal At Air Force Academy
- February 11, 2003: 7NEWS Investigates Alleged Rapes At Air Force Academy
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