Your security receives highest priority

By Col. Cynthia A. Murphy, Fort Lewis Garrison Commander

Ensuring your safety and peace of mind is at the forefront of everything we do on our installation. With that in mind, I’m concerned that a story recently broadcast on a local news program could create unnecessary worry about your security on post. This letter is intended to share with you the facts that were not included in the television story, and to assure you that your personal security receives the highest priority from our installation leadership.

Seattle’s KOMO-TV aired a story on Feb. 13 that created the impression that Fort Lewis inadequately protects its residents by failing to notify the Fort Lewis community when a registered sex offender is residing in on-post quarters. In the story, the reporter used incomplete comparisons to some local communities and inflammatory language that created the impression that Fort Lewis lags behind its neighbors in protecting residents from registered sex offenders.

If the story were simply unflattering, I would not be writing this letter. However, the story implies that Fort Lewis is failing in its obligation to take care of Soldiers and families, and that requires a response.

First and foremost, there are no registered sex offenders living in family housing on Fort Lewis today. Long before KOMO-TV began working on its story, we started working with our privatized family housing partner, Fort Lewis Communities Limited Liability Corporation on this issue, and the result is a broadened screening process that prohibits registered sex offenders, including military sponsors, adult family members or juveniles, from living in family housing.

This process was implemented in December 2007. Sex offenders are no longer permitted to reside in family housing at Fort Lewis.

A Level II sex offender who had lived in family housing since before Fort Lewis implemented its current sex offender policy was recently barred from the installation for other misconduct. Presumably, this is the sex offender referred to in the KOMO broadcast. Notably, the action to bar this person from the installation began before KOMO prepared their story, and the individual left the installation prior to the story being aired. For your background information:

• Level I sex offenders normally have not exhibited predatory behaviors and their likelihood to reoffend is considered minimal.

• A Level II sex offender is one who presents a moderate risk to the community and has a higher likelihood of reoffending than the Level I offenders, because of the nature of their previous crimes and lifestyle (drug or alcohol abuse and/or other criminal activity).

• Level III offenders may have predatory characteristics, may seek out victims and pose the potential high risk to the community. They are considered a threat to reoffend if provided the opportunity. Most have prior sex crime convictions.

It’s important for you to know that our law enforcement community has always kept close watch on any registered sex offender on our installation, including the one referred to in this story. As a result, there have been no criminal incidents of a sexual nature by any registered sex offender who may have been on Fort Lewis. Fort Lewis is and has been in full compliance with federal and state law requiring community notification of sex offenders residing in the community. Today, Fort Lewis exceeds both federal and state requirements.

It is doubtful that you will find a community anywhere in this region that offers a more secure family environment or where the community leaders are more involved in family safety than Fort Lewis.

If you believe that unsafe conditions exist on Fort Lewis, contact us through the military police, your chain of command, your family support group or through any post agency you choose – but please contact us. That way, we can either correct the situation or provide you with answers to your concerns.

Fort Lewis is as safe and secure a community as can be found anywhere in the region, and our entire command will spare no effort to ensure that it stays that way. I thank you for all you do for our community, our Army and the nation.