The United States army revealed plans to place a civilian in charge of the command that oversees criminal investigations in the region amid the criticisms they are understaffed, overwhelmed, and filled with inexperienced investigators.
Many expect the public announcement to be made on Thursday is based on a recommendation to try and reduce the violent crimes and murders in the country. The Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) will be a separate entity from the Provost Marshal General’s Office.
Civilian Director
A general officer will run the operation and be assisted by an overseeing yet-to-be-named civilian director. Authorities made the decision in an attempt to improve the capabilities of command.
The CID will be directly responsible for criminal investigations while the Provost Marshal General’s office will have other duties to attend to. The anonymous officials who revealed the decision ahead of the public announcement said three Army installations will immediately implement changes to their procedures.
In 2020, more than two dozen Fort Hood soldiers have lost their lives due to homicides and suicides. The deaths of many officers forced independent reviews which discovered that military leaders were not capable of dealing with high rates of sexual assault, harassment, drug use, and other problems in the base, the Voice of America reported.
The chairman of the review panel, Christopher Swecker, said the agents were “victims of the system,” due to the lack of training and exhaustive administrative tasks. He said the leaders of the base prioritized military readiness with no consideration for the sexual assault prevention program.