Spike in Sexual Assault Reports

The Washington Post recently published a very interesting article titled “Why sexual assault reports have spiked at the Naval Academy, West Point and the Air Force Academy.”  Each of the academies have seen an increased number of sexual assault reports in the most recent school year.  A Defense Department review pointed to a number of specific tactics that have contributed to the increased reporting.  Although the increased reporting is viewed by some to be a positive sign, others have questioned whether the reporting has led to flawed investigations and an atmosphere of “guilty, until proven innocent.”

It has been four years since two female students accused a U.S. Naval Academy teacher, Marine Maj. Mark Thompson, of having sex with them amid a drunken night of strip poker at his Annapolis home.  The flawed investigation that followed — closely examined in a story this week by The Washington Post — shined light on one incident among several that have deeply embarrassed the nation’s service academies in the past two decades.