Incident after incident is teaching our state's young people there are some in positions of authority of whom they must be wary. That is frightening, given how often we adults try to drill into their heads they should trust us and do what we say.
There are reports of elementary school teachers arrested on charges of sexual abuse, accused of engaging "in inappropriate behavior and physical contact with a juvenile acquaintance under the age of 14 years old." (Police do say the incident that led to that arrest "did not involve the scope of his employment.")
There are reports on investigations by the Maryland Attorney General's Office detailing sex abuse allegations against more than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the church. But similar allegations have been made against other denominations over the decades as well.
And now we are told Wheeling Attorney Teresa Toriseva plans to file a lawsuit on behalf of three females ranging in age from 14 to 17 who may have been filmed at the West Virginia State Police Academy as part of the Junior Trooper Program. According to a report by The Intelligencer in Wheeling, Toriseva's office notified West Virginia State Police Interim Superintendent Col. Jack Chambers and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey the lawsuit is coming.
"Our clients know they and other fellow female Junior Trooper program attendees accessed and used the female locker room at the West Virginia State Police Academy during the relevant time the anonymous letter indicates the camera or cameras were in use," Toriseva said. "The videotaping of women and minor females did not end until sometime in 2020. The Junior Trooper program was also discontinued in 2020.
Appalling.
While lawmakers spent the most recent and several previous legislative sessions distracted by socio-cultural bogeymen -- telling children and parents what they should fear -- some very real monsters have been preying on our kids. Thank goodness for the work of some in law enforcement (particularly the special task forces) and a few brave attorneys general who never stopped fighting them. Imagine the good we could do if we poured more time and resources into THOSE fights.
As we await that shift, the best thing the WVSP; our Attorney General's Office; and those in positions of authority in our school systems and churches can do is leave no doubt they are working to root out these individuals, fully cooperate in investigations and implement appropriate consequences. They must prove the safety of our children is more important to them than keeping quiet in the name of preserving their reputation.
It boggles the mind that some fail to understand they do far more damage to their reputations by appearing to protect these criminals. Worse, they compound the damage done to the victims. That is unforgivable, and it must stop. Now.