Bill Proposes Shifting Minnesota National Guard Sexual Assault Investigations to BCA

Minnesota National Guard

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A bill aiming to create a clear process and timely system for investigating sexual assaults when both the perpetrator and the victim are members of the Minnesota National Guard is making its way through the Legislature.

The bill at the Capitol would require any sexual assault case involving two members of the Guard to be investigated by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, a statewide law enforcement agency, according to the Star Tribune.

There’s currently no consistent or timely process when handling a sexual assault case in the Guard, which has roughly 13,000 members spread out across more than 60 communities. The Guard also doesn’t currently have internal criminal investigative capabilities.

Several women told the Star Tribune they felt their stories were not taken seriously by local law enforcement when they reported their assaults. In many cases, the investigation would last for more than two years.

In one instance, Minnesota National Guard member Sara Kostek said she was dismissed by Morrison County officials when she told them her first sergeant grabbed and kissed her after a day of training at Camp Ripley.

The Morrison County Sheriff’s office declined to comment.

Between 2014 and 2019, the Guard fielded 112 reports of sexual assault. Nine of those cases resulted in criminal charges from local law enforcement offices. During that same period, the Guard referred 22 cases to the Office of Complex Investigations, and nine were substantiated.

Nearly all of the cases of assault in the Guard were male offenders preying upon women who were lower in rank.

Officials in the Guard who support the bill think sending all cases directly to the BCA will make the process more efficient and accountable to victims.