Utah Scouting officials say they know of very few child-abuse situations in local Boy Scout programs, despite national published reports about molestation problems with the Boy Scouts in other parts of the country.
In a recent USA Today story, the Boy Scouts of America said 1,800 Scoutmasters suspected of molesting boys were dismissed between 1971 and 1991.The newspaper account says a Sacramento lawyer, who reportedly obtained a 25,000-page Boy Scouts file for a lawsuit, charged that the Scouts should have studied the contents to better prevent the "infiltration of pedophiles."
In Utah, Great Salt Lake Council spokesman Kay Godfrey said that to his knowledge, "we have had very few . . . child-abuse situations."
In his three years with the council, Godfrey said he is aware of "only a couple of instances. I don't know the details."
Richard Walker, a national BSA spokesman in Irving, Texas, told the Deseret News that as he understands the national report, "some of them (the Scouting leaders) were merely suspected (of child abuse). Some of them were not even Scout leaders, and some of the boys weren't even Scouts."
Walker added, "In some cases it was only suspicion. In more than a few cases, we have had people removed from Scouting merely on suspicion. We have to be very careful about what we say about files (on individuals)."
The Scouting leader said the BSA's first priority is the safety of the 4.2 million Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.
"Our five-point youth protection strategy, for example, creates a hostile environment that is key to preventing child abuse. In fact, any time an accusation of child abuse is directed toward a leader, that leader is immediately suspended and child protection agencies are notified. We always comply with all state laws," Walker said.
He said the BSA has produced two award-winning videos on youth protection, "A Time To Tell" and "It Happened to Me." The BSA also published a 28-page Parent's Guide to Child Abuse and Neglect. All Scouts are asked to have their parents sign a statement as evidence that the family has talked about child abuse and youth protection. All new volunteers must be trained in BSA youth protection methods, Walker said.
Godfrey said investigative procedures for handling child-abuse reports are very "specific and structured. (They) primarily involve our Scout executive. He makes contacts once something is reported. Then he follows a very structured set of guidelines set by the national (BSA) office."
Frank Aydelotte, public affairs director for Utah National Parks Council, said the USA Today article failed to state the number of individuals barred from Scouting's ranks.
"If we discover something and it is documented, their membership is pulled," Aydelotte said "We have safeguards, but there is due process. We have to be careful that people aren't accused unfairly. Because someone reports something doesn't necessarily mean it is true. You have to be careful about that kind of thing," Aydelotte said.
"We are expected to take allegations seriously and check into them. We don't want anyone in BSA membership who is a child molester. They are not welcome," he added.
Thomas C. Powell, Utah National Parks Council executive since September 1992, said that if there were only one case of child abuse, it should be considered serious.
"The BSA is very sensitive to the protection of its youth. I believe we have done an outstanding job in developing policies and practices that help our unit leader and partner organizations (such as churches, civic clubs and schools) in preventing child abuse," Powell said.
Responding to questions about numbers, Powell said, "Nothing comes to mind on sexual abuse in the Utah National Parks Council. . . . The cases I can remember were not sexual abuse but physical abuse."
Al Sonnenburg, field director for Trapper Trails Council, Ogden, (formerly known as Lake Bonneville, Cache Valley and Jim Bridger councils), said he is "not privy to the number of persons (suspected or investigated for child abuse). The Scout executive deals with those persons. I couldn't venture to say, but there are cases that come up from time to time."
Trapper Trails Council executive Harvey Mortensen said information on any allegation is forwarded to the national council.
"There's not really a problem in Utah. Once in a while we will investigate something, but we have not found real problems in those investigations. We probably have a question or two a year about a person. It is very minimal. The process of denying a person registration has been very infrequent," Mor-ten-sen said.
"We do everything possible to protect our youth. We are in the business of strengthening and building character - not placing anyone in harm's way."