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Improving our Response to Sexual Assaults
Department of Justice: Missoula "A Model for the Nation"
The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for Montana announced in a press conference in Missoula on May 11, 2015, that the Missoula Police Department has implemented all the reforms in its response to sexual assaults mandated by the Department of Justice in just two years.
"In short, this community has come together to institute long-term, systemic change to protect and ensure the safety of generations to come, and we are here to acknowledge that and to celebrate that," said Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, who traveled to Missoula from Washington, D.C., for the announcement.
Both the Department of Justice and independent reviewer Thomas Tremblay have signed off and agree that the Missoula Police Department has instituted all the reforms and met all its obligations.
"Indeed, Missoula is a model for every town in this nation to emulate," said Michael Cotter, U.S. Attorney for the Montana district.
Read the press release and remarks from speakers at the news conference:
Police Chief Mike Brady Remarks (PDF)
UM President Royce Engstrom Remarks (PDF)
Final Safety and Accountability Audit Report (PDF)
Read some history:
In May 2013, the Police Department entered into a 2-year agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to improve the manner in which it conducts sexual assault investigations. Some of the key facets of the agreement were to improve training, policies, community partnerships and transparency of our efforts in compliance with the agreement. Additionally, we agreed to oversight of our compliance by an Independent Reviewer and to publish the reviewer's quarterly reports for our citizens to track the progress of our achievements. Those reports and the terms of the agreement can be found below -
Progress Reports From Independent Reviewer
- First Reviewer Report (PDF) - Issued November 5, 2013
- Second Reviewer Report (PDF) - Issued June 10, 2014
- Year One Report (PDF) - Issued November 6, 2014
- Fourth Reviewer Report (PDF) - Issued March 24, 2015
- Final Sustained Compliance Report (PDF)- Issued September 2015
MPD Agreement (PDF) with DOJ
We've recently completed an update (posted 11/18/2014) and review of our department's sexual assault policy. You can view that specific policy (PDF) online. You can always view any of our department's policies online. Go here for the entire policy manual.
Training
Since we've entered the agreement, Missoula Police Officers have attended 5,861 hours of training in sexual assault-related courses. If you would like to see the entire breakdown, here's the latest spreadsheet (PDF).
Further Information
- Learn about our response to sexual assaults.
- Publichealth.org also compiles useful information on this subject.