{"id":41987,"date":"2020-08-06T20:48:34","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T20:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/08\/06\/murder-sexual-harassment-rates-at-fort-hood-among-highest-in-the-service-army-secretary-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:31:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:31:58","slug":"murder-sexual-harassment-rates-at-fort-hood-among-highest-in-the-service-army-secretary-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2020\/08\/06\/murder-sexual-harassment-rates-at-fort-hood-among-highest-in-the-service-army-secretary-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Murder, sexual harassment rates at Fort Hood among highest in the service, Army secretary says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The rates of certain violent crimes, including murder, are generally higher at Fort Hood, Texas, than other installations across the force, the Army\u2019s top civilian leader said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acknowledgment comes on the heels of the incredibly violent death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen<\/a>, who federal prosecutors say was bludgeoned to death by a fellow soldier inside a Fort Hood armory<\/a> and later dismembered to hide the remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fort Hood has become the subject of an independent command climate review that will attempt to identify causes of the high crime rates, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters Thursday during a visit to the central Texas installation. The independent review team will look at not only Fort Hood, but also the surrounding community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his two-day visit, McCarthy said he met with soldiers across the post, from \u201cprivate first classes all the way to general officers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCarthy said he told soldiers that the Army was sending the \u201cindependent group of investigators to understand the root causes associated with the rise of felonies, violent acts [and] to better understand why this is happening at this installation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been eight soldiers who died<\/a> on or near Fort Hood this year. Five of those deaths have been publicly linked to foul play. There are roughly 45,000 soldiers assigned to the installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe numbers are high here,\u201d McCarthy added. \u201cThey are the highest, in most cases, for sexual assault and harassment and murders for our entire formation \u2014 the U.S. Army.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
President Donald Trump meets with the family of slain Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Washington. Vanessa’s mother Gloria Guillen, third from left, and Vanessa’s father Rogelio Guillen, left, listen. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A written survey distributed to 225 Fort Hood soldiers in late June found that 18 out of the 52 women who participated, about one-third, reported being sexually harassed, Col. Patrick Wempe, the Army Forces Command inspector general, told lawmakers last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the survey\u2019s results also showed that soldiers had a \u201chigh trust\u201d in their leadership and a \u201chigh willingness\u201d to report sexual harassment and assault incidents if they arise, Wempe added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guillen\u2019s family said their deceased soldier shared allegations of sexual harassment with them prior to her murder. Guillen never reported the allegations to her chain of command for fear of reprisal, the family has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investigators have not revealed a motive for Guillen\u2019s death. Her regiment commander, Col. Ralph Overland, launched an internal investigation into her allegations in June. It remains ongoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The upcoming command climate review<\/a> that McCarthy discussed Thursday will be carried out by five civilians whom the Army called \u201chighly qualified experts\u201d in a press release announcing their backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\t