rmy undercounted 4,000 domestic abuse cases, according to audit
The two databases that track domestic abuse in the Army missed close to 4,000 cases, leading to less prevention and repeat offenders.
BY MATT WHITE | PUBLISHED JUN 13, 2024 8:00 AM EDT
An Army audit found that thousands of domestic violence incidents involving soldiers fell through the cracks without oversight, resulting in cases of victims being re-harmed and even killed by perpetrators who had already been identified as abusers.
An Army audit obtained by the Project On Government Oversight through a Freedom of Information Act request and shared with Task & Purpose found that the Army didn’t properly track thousands of domestic abuse reports in two different tracking databases and failed to enforce relevant training among its soldiers. The audit linked both factors to repeated domestic abuse.
The audit found that 13% of military domestic abuse cases is committed by repeat offenders, who can often be more dangerous than first-time offenders. A 2022 Army report found that of fourteen people who died from domestic abuse linked to service members that year, five were killed by people who had been previously reported for abuse. Among those who were killed, four had previously reported abuse.
“The Army also risked higher rates of domestic abuse repeat offenses and increased negative impacts to mission readiness,” the audit concluded.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-audit-domestic-abuse-cases/
