GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new report released by the Department of Justice on Thursday shows the FBI failed to act appropriately on all suspected child abuse cases.
This come after a 2021 review showing FBI mishandlings of allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
After reviewing more than 300 cases in 2021 and 2023, the inspector found the FBI did not appear to comply with mandatory reporting requirements to local law enforcement in around half the cases, among listing other shortcomings in investigating allegations.
The report partially attributes the shortcomings to the sheer volume of cases and lack of staff, citing instances of agents being assigned 60 cases at a time.
"Recognizing the depth that the investigation and the review went through was really encouraging, that it was not a cursory or surface review," said Charisse Mitchell, CEO of the YWCA West Central Michigan.
Since the Nassar case, the report shows the FBI has implemented training, policy, and system changes to improve its responses, with the FBI acknowledging past mistakes and planning to adopt new approaches.
"It is a lot for any one department to manage, and there are systems and collaborations that can be put in place to assist with training, to assist with the development of protocols and practices of aligning systems, of being more transparent with data and comparing that data to what is happening and being provided in other communities and spaces," said Mitchell.
Mitchell says the YWCA and other local agencies have seen an increase in child sexual abuse cases since the COVID-19 Pandemic, but have also seen greater responses from law enforcement.
"A greater sense of kind of accountability and responsibility on the behalf of the systems that people are encountering, and in reporting. We are also seeing that capacity challenges across systems lead to areas where people can, in fact, fall through the cracks, where investigations take longer because there just aren't enough people to do the work that's needed." said Mitchell.
She also highlights the importance of local collaboration and a multi-faceted approach, saying it is an all hands on deck mission to prevent cases of all forms of abuse.
While saying that she is encouraged by the continuing calls for change, Mitchells says she also hopes to see progress being regularly tracked and managed as agencies like the FBI amend and instill policies.
"The events that surrounded all of the assaults that Larry Nassar created didn't happen in one day. It was years of processes, of broken systems, of lack of believing. There were a number of failures over the course of a long period of time," said Mitchell. "If it took years to get to that level of abuse, it is going to take years of urgency and effort. We really cannot take our foot off the gas."
The state's sexual assault and abuse hotline can be found here, or by calling 1-855-864-2374.