UPDATE-
Big news for Boy Scouts of America, its volunteers, and past and present Scouts. The recently released "perversion files" detail thousands of volunteers banned from the program for suspected child abuse. Some cases were handed over to police, but many were not. The Boy Scouts apologizes for the harm that has caused to some scouts. But says it continues to focus on safety.
"We didn't do the job that we probably should have, and we're sorry for that, profoundly sorry," says BSA President Wayne Perry.
He says it's difficult to understand the actions of volunteers from decades ago. Some blame goes to outdated attitudes.
"At one time the medical community thought that you could be cured of this, it's only in the last two decades that they decided you can't be cured of child abuse."
But Perry says today's attitude is to lead the way to protect children.
"What we try to remind people is where we are today, for a long time our commitment to youth protections, how we've been leaders in youth protection."
Scouting has been updating its polices since the seventies. And in a letter to parents released a month ago, the Boy Scouts break down what is required of the one point two million volunteers in Scouting.
First screening, volunteer applications are sent through criminal background checks. And the names are compared against the ineligible volunteer files. Our own look into some of those files shows volunteers who were on the list and re-applied in the past, were denied re-registration.
Youth protection training is mandated. And volunteers are required to renew their training every two years.
And the number of adults at activities is strictly regulated. The Scouts say no leader should be alone with a scout for any reason. Instead, there must be two adults with the scouts at all times.
Finally, parents are encouraged to contact their local Scout Executive with any questions. And the organization is prepared to immediately ban anyone suspected of inappropriate behavior.
Big news for the Boy Scouts of America, anyone who's a volunteer and for kids who are still Scouts.
The Scouts have opened up hundreds of files it kept on known or suspected child abusers.
This after two Oregon attorneys fought to make the files public.
The accusation against the Scouts --
They knew about these accused abusers and in some cases didn't tell police, instead taking matters into their own hands and keeping a list of possible offenders.
There are hundreds of files and they cover volunteers in 49 states from 1965 to 1985.
There are over a dozen troops with volunteers in the QCA connected to the file.
The Boy Scouts calls it the list of ineligible volunteers.
And kept the records to help it keep volunteers accused of abuse out of the organization.
KWQC looked at all the locals cases that had documentation but picked a few to look at closely.
They are representative of the larger picture of how the Scout leaders in our area reacted.
We're not releasing the names, because we don't have names for all of the cases.
Beginning in Rock Island, the files show an investigation into an assistant district commissioner with the Illowa Boy Scout Council.
It's an old file from 1969.
Here's what it says --
Illowa in this case did call in the police.
A detective with the Rock Island Police Department questioned the volunteer about an allegation of indecent exposure outside a YMCA.
But this wasn't the only concern.
An informer with ties to police said the commissioner molested boys between the ages of 10 and 16.
In this case no arrests or convictions were reported or found.
But the Boy Scouts placed him on the ineligible volunteer list.
And because of that they kept him out.
Because in April of 1974 the man registered to be a troop committee member in Rock Island. The Boy Scouts denied his membership. The man tried again in 1980, registering with a troop in Bettendorf. The Scouts again denied his registration.
In Dubuque another case this time in 1970.
Another volunteer accused and it appears the police never got involved.
The Northeast Iowa Council Scout Executive wrote to the Scouts, asking them to place an assistant scoutmaster into the confidential file. The executive said the man engaged in homosexual activities with boys in the area. And admitted the fact to the executive. He said appropriate action had been taken. The Boy Scouts placed the assistant scoutmaster into the file.
The Boy Scouts asked for hard evidence. A written statement from a scout or a parent. But it appears it stopped there there's nothing else in the record.
These files represent five-thousand individuals over a 20 year period.
Right now the Scouts have one point two million volunteers registered with the group.
Boy Scout President Wayne Perry released a statement saying while it is difficult to understand these individual's actions decades ago, Scouting is a leader among youth service organizations in preventing child abuse.
And he defends the ineligible volunteer files, saying they function well to deny dangerous individuals from entering Scouting.
You can look at the documents on the attorney's website, as well as the full database at the L.A. Times.
